title: Strategies to teach family assessment and intervention through an online international curriculum.
abstract: A Web-based certificate program for international health professionals to acquire understanding of family health and strategies to implement culturally sensitive health care of families is outlined. In four Web courses and a project, students progress interactively to apply culture, family, and interdisciplinary health system theories to assessments and clinical interventions with families in the interdisciplinary setting. Four online educational strategies to facilitate student success from the virtual classroom to actual clinical care are described: adjusting to the technology, communicating the learning progress openly, giving mutual feedback, and implementing evidence-based family care. Outcomes addressing student learning and skill enhancement, family interaction, and student and faculty experiences in the virtual learning environment are explored. Overall, students learned to work successfully with families in health care, experienced increasing comfort and competency in challenging situations, introduced family care in their work setting, and emerged as leaders while working in interdisciplinary teams.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. andersok@fiu.edu
authors.forename: Kathryn Hoehn
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Marie-Luise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Friedemann
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005060:Europe; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D022143:Family Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009742:Nursing Theory; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D016746:Transcultural Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States