In addition to Lankenau, these students observed nursing care at Main Line Health Hospitals: Bryn Mawr Rehab and Homecare Network; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP); the University of Pennsylvania Hospital; Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital; Melmark; and the Assisted Living Community at Paoli Pointe. The program was created in 2005 to foster understanding of global aspects in nursing education.

The South Korean nursing students noted that there were many surprising differences between health care in the United State and Korea. For example, they learned that hospital care can be nonprofit.  They said that seeing equal care being offered to patients from all socioeconomic levels reinforced their philosophy that "Life is before money, which is precious."  Another thing that surprised them was the mission statement from Main Line Health that was written 150 years ago, and has not changed.

Students Yuri Kim and Eunhye Jeong said, "We were amazed by the relationships between the nurses and social workers. They all worked together toward meeting patient needs, increasing patient satisfaction, and assuring patient comfort."  Students Sohee Kang and Eugene Jeon noted that, "The relationships between nurses and physicians are very different from what we have experienced in Korea. Here they work together closely and respectfully. Attending physicians depend on the nurse's initial assessment as well as the residents. The nurses are essential to the plan of care.  We have learned that through this process, a patient receives good care."

The nursing students said they all learned from the nurses on the team -- young and old, men and women.  Despite a demanding workload, they all work together to create a safe patient care experience. Each member is important and each contributes to the team. They had heard that all nurses were busy with heavy workloads in the United States, but the nurses took the time to teach them and explain their role as nurses.

The Korean nursing students appreciated the opportunity to spend most of their time at Lankenau Hospital. They would like to express special thanks to Mrs. Laurie Watson, MSN, RN, Director of Patient Guest Relations and Volunteer Services; Mr. Carl Swanson, Director of Development, and Mrs. Pat Nogar, Director of Community Health Services, who were supportive and encouraging. They are grateful to Seoul Women's College of Nursing and Eastern University for coordinating the program.  They also thank the Korean Council for College Education and the Korean government which sent them to the United States with the following personal goals:
* To train to be a more culturally diverse person by understanding the global work place.
* To assure domestic and overseas competence.
* To improve academic abilities in the Global Workplace Training Program.
* To strengthen nursing skills in the field through training outstanding persons.

Sung Chon Yoo, MSN, BSN, the Coordinator of the Korean Nurse Summer Program at Eastern University, sums up the program by saying, "We can truthfully say that these goals were met. We had a wonderful opportunity to learn about U.S health care system during the 16 weeks. The students' understanding of nursing skills grew and changed during this experience. I am confident that they will continue to develop our profession in the future."

For more information about Nursing programs at Eastern University, visit:  http://eastern.edu/academic/ccgps/nursing/index.html