Outcomes of Swedish Nursing Students’ Field Experiences in a Hospital in Tanzania

Abstract

This study describes the experiences of a group of nursing students from Sweden in a hospital in Tanzania. Students were interviewed on their return after the trip. Although students experienced considerable upheaval and frustration working in a different context, they learned valuable lessons as to how nursing can be conducted in conditions entirely different from those familiar to them. They attempted to understand the value and behavioral divergences they encountered, yet values of their home culture remained their frame of reference. This project reflected the importance of working through students’ experience if knowledge and understanding of self and others are to be enhanced or developed.