The Transatlantic Nursing Curriculum Project (TCN)
The worldwide nursing shortage has created the need for an innovative program that harnesses the enthusiasm of students wishing to pursue a global education.
The overarching goal of this project is to improve higher education in health. The partners in this project are expanding an existing collaborative initiative between Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Nazareth College in the United States and Semmelweis University in Hungary. The partners share a common concern for preparing and retaining a well-educated nursing workforce. The expansion will improve higher education and health by preparing nurses with a global perspective to provide culturally competent care through the development of a transatlantic dual-degree program.
Specifically, the major goals of the program are: 1. Prepare a culturally competent international nursing workforce and globalize the nursing workforce through educational experiences. 2. Create mechanisms for the exchange of undergraduate students majoring in nursing. 3. Develop a dual-degree model to facilitate the growth of the nursing workforce by developing international nursing leadership with a global, trans-cultural perspective. 4. Share evidence-based practice standards for education that cross international boundaries.
The graduates of this dual-degree program will have the ability to look beyond national borders for solutions to global problems. All students will participate in the acquisition of appropriate language skills and the partners believe that every student in the program will benefit from immersion in the culture of health care in another country. However, we strongly believe that are preparing bachelor's nurses for work in international environments, not merely teaching students how to speak the language of patients from other countries. The professional knowledge of the students obtaining a dual-degree will be broader than that of students obtaining a qualification at a national level. The students participating in the courses will gain familiarity with different health care systems, institutions, regulatory environments and teaching methods. The graduates of the proposed dual-degree program will master competencies facilitating their participation in global programs such as participating in global relief operations, crisis situations and health planning collaboratives. Moreover, students will expand professional and personal relationships beyond geographic boundaries.
The classes associated with the program are taught in English. Students are required to participate in a formal language program in Finnish and Hungarian to faciliate communication with patients.
The application for the program may be accessed by clicking here.
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The worldwide nursing shortage has created the need for an innovative program that harnesses the enthusiasm of students wishing to pursue a global education. 
