This project has been literally months in preparation. March 2022, I was accepted to the US Fulbright Specialist roster. Unlike the US Fulbright Scholar Program, which I was fortunate to do 2013-2014, the Specialist must seek out a project designed by an international university for which they are a good match OR collaborate with the university in designing a project. Time was ticking as in order to get in the two maximum projects, I HAD to find a project for Summer 2023.
I reached out to the director of the BSN nursing program at Vin University in Hanoi, Vietnam to discuss possible projects for which I would be a good match. The topic of the NCLEX exam came up and I learned that their graduates take the same licensing exam as our nursing graduates in the USA. Beginning April '23, 17% of the NCLEX exam questions will be in an alternative format, not your standard multiple choice questioning. The purpose is to really drill down and g_auge the clinical judgment of nursing graduates. However, while every nursing program in the USA has been working to prepare their students for this change, the faculty and the students at Vin University are very unsure of how to prepare for the different question formats. Consider how different the health delivery systems are between the USA and Vietnam and the fact that these native Vietnamese nursing students are taking the exam in English. Wow- how brave and how smart they are!
So to that end, I am going to be living and working in Hanoi for over a month as a visiting professor, working with the faculty members and the students in preparing to take the NCLEX exam this summer. I have never visited Hanoi before and this is my first exposure to nursing education in Vietnam. It shall be quite the adventure!
Stay tuned for more "Postcards from Hanoi"!
For more information about UF Fulbright Faculty Support Program, Click Here