The impact of cultural immersion international learning experiences on cultural competence of nursing students: A critical integrative review

Background: Cultural immersion international learning experiences (CIILEs) are commonly offered in undergraduate nursing education programs worldwide, often with the goal to enhance students' cultural competence.

Purpose: The purpose of this integrative review was to explore the most recent existing literature concerning the impact of CIILEs on nursing students' cultural competence and to cast a critical eye on the findings.

Method: We searched the CINAHL database for articles published from 2015 to 2019 and found 30 that met inclusion criteria.

Results: The majority of the studies were descriptive or qualitative designs and reported positive overall student cultural competence outcomes.

Conclusion: The findings support the use of CIILEs with a critical eye for potential negative consequences. The authors recommend further longitudinal, observational studies to identify factors that facilitate substantial long-term positive outcomes.