The University of Michigan School of Nursing recently welcomed nursing leaders from across the Caribbean and Latin America for immersive, hands-on training and exchanges focused on improving health care education across the regions.
The School of Nursing's Office of Global Affairs, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), hosted a cohort of nurse educators from Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago for the "Train the Trainer" Caribbean simulation initiative-an effort housed within its 27-year designation as a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center.
Additionally, the School of Nursing welcomed nursing partners from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Mexico to support the development of Nurse Practitioners in Latin America.
Both programs reflect the School's decades-long commitment to advancing nurse and midwifery education, empowering nurses, cultivating leadership, and fostering knowledge exchange. These efforts are driven by a vision to promote global health leadership, support low- and middle-income regions, and build educational capacity to address health disparities, according to Jeanne-Marie Stacciarini, associate dean for global affairs and co-director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.
Bridging knowledge to practice in the Caribbean
During the first week, participants from across the Caribbean took part in simulation exercises at UMSN's state-of-the-art center.
They rotated through roles as clinicians, family members, and control room staff, managing high-fidelity mannequins in lifelike scenarios that simulated hospital challenges such as changes in vital signs, coughing, and shifting patient conditions. These activities reinforced teamwork, crisis management, and clinical autonomy-skills participants can take home to train fellow educators.
The week also included presentations and discussions about nursing education, giving participants a chance to consider how U.S. approaches might be adapted for their own countries.
"There are plans to enhance simulation in teaching, so I want to be prepared to go back and teach others," said Cynthia Pitter, senior lecturer and head of the School of Nursing at the University of the West Indies Mona in Jamaica.
Natalie Watson, an instructor at Barbados Community College, said, "Simulation is the way forward. We want to make sure that our students are placed in a secure environment and can practice before they get to the bedside with real patients."
"One of my hopes is that we all take to heart and take home how-with skillful faculty-it is not the technology that matters quite as much as how we are using the technology. There is a lot we can do with less technology than we think, as long as we use it carefully and skillfully," said Megan Eagle, U-M clinical assistant professor of nursing.
Exploring the advanced practice nurse education and roles
In week two, Latin American nurses, faculty, and administrators explored nurse practitioner education and roles, as well as their impact in U.S. health care settings, through presentations and discussions with U-M faculty, students and members of nursing organizations. They also visited U-M Health and community sites to gain further insights into nurse practitioner roles in the U.S. context, with particular emphasis on how these roles contribute to eliminating health disparities.
For their hands-on activity, participants wore protective hospital garments and used readily available materials to create the different layers of a simulated puncture wound on their own hands-an exercise that highlighted both practical and creative approaches to clinical simulation education.
"This seminar is focused on implementing the nurse practitioner education in Latin America, which allows us to see how the role is implemented and consider strategies we can apply in our own countries, approaches that could improve health care access and coverage," said Francisca Márquez-Doren, director of graduate studies at the School of Nursing at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
"It's interesting to see how this North American model can bring us together. We need to culturally adapt this experience, among others, to make it work in our own countries. In some places, it works exactly as it does here."
Aurturo Ferreira, professor and director of the Department of Wellbeing and Health at the Catholic University of Uruguay, said he is eager to focus on forming strategic alliances-both with hospitals in other countries and with universities in the region-recognizing that such partnerships are essential to developing the nurse practitioner roles.
For many, the formation of networks and leadership capacity was important.
"A nurse is a nurse anywhere in the world, but what sets nurse practitioners apart is that they are not generalists-they are experts in a particular area, with extensive knowledge and experience, able to act independently in specific situations," said Viviana de los Angeles Galarza, professor at the School of Nursing at the National University of Misiones in Argentina.
U-M students and presenters also shared how the experience provided a valuable global perspective.
"It's important in today's world to maintain global relationships. For me, learning from other cultures can shape my practice and help me better educate the next generation of midwives," said Renee Sokolowski, certified nurse-midwife student at U-M.
Jimmy Johnston, a doctor of nursing practice student in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, agreed. He pointed out that nurses are crucial to the health system and said the program gives them the tools to lead change, advance their expertise, and apply evidence-based solutions wherever they work.
"We might be on different sides of the world, but we experience many of the same health disparities. It's up to us to find unique ways to address these challenges together," he said.
Stacciarini said the two global programs offer tremendous value to our international partners while providing enriching learning experiences for U-M faculty, students and community nurse practitioners.
"Together, we are building a more interconnected, informed and impactful global nursing community," she said.
