The Mary Black School of Nursing at USC Upstate is being studied as a model for a nursing school that is being established at the Ternopil State Medical University (TSMU) in Ternopil, Ukraine. A group of six Ukrainian physicians arrived on campus Feb. 5 and are spending the next three weeks working directly with the nursing faculty to study the syllabi, test, textbooks, and manual to get an in-depth understanding of how nursing education is taught in the U.S.

"The Ukrainian visitors are interacting with faculty and students in both classroom and clinical settings," said Marsha Dowell, dean of the Mary Black School of Nursing. "There are fascinating differences in health care practices and systems when you compare the Ukraine and the U.S. This interaction is broadening everyone's view as to what health care is all about and the wide variety of ways to approach its delivery."

Upon returning to the Ukraine, TSMU will begin recruiting students on an international basis, including Americans, to attend the nursing school. This could have a significant impact on the nursing shortage in the U.S. since many students are interested in pursuing a degree in nursing but often get put on a waiting list due to the limited number of faculty and space availability. There is a national and regional shortage of qualified graduate nurses and other healthcare workers. With an aging population, the effects of the shortage grow ever more significant and it is reaching crisis proportion in Spartanburg County, as it is elsewhere.

Nursing students will be recruited to attend nursing school in the Ukraine, but they will be able to return to nursing careers in the U.S. The effort is being supported by several American hospitals in an effort to remedy the nursing shortage that is affecting the entire healthcare profession. American students who elect to attend nursing school in the Ukraine are being prepared to function in a global society, according to Regis Robe, director of the Center for International Studies and Language Services at USC Upstate.

"These nursing students will gain a global perspective, have exposure to international experiences, and have the opportunity for exchange and faculty endeavors," said Robe.

The Ukrainian faculty members are all physicians who are now studying for a bachelor's of science in nursing and a master's of science in nursing. Many of the physicians attended medical school in the U.S. and view helping ease this country's nursing shortage as a way to demonstrate their appreciation for their medical training.

"The United States has been so helpful to use and we are thankful to be here," said Natalia Lishcenko, associate professor and director of the Institute of Nursing at the Ternopil State Medical University. "The Mary Black School of Nursing is a state-of-the-art model and we are learning so much here that we will be able to implement in the Ukraine."

Lishcenko expressed amazement at how capable the nursing faculty and students are at USC Upstate. She feels the U.S. nursing students are much more independent and have a deeper and more holistic level of interaction with their patients that nursing students in her country.

"The Soviet influence dictated that medical professionals keep their distance from the patients and we have yet to transition from that mind set," said Lishcenko, who graduated from medical school in California. "The American approach certainly lends itself to better nurse-patient relations. This is one way of teaching that we will change upon our return. We are definitely learning from each other."

The USC Upstate faculty and staff were surprised to learn that both nurses and physicians in the Ukraine still wear white caps. A long-discarded tradition in this country, wearing white caps is an important part of the hygienic requirements in the Ukraine.

Without doubt, this has been a mutually beneficial visit for the Mary Black School of Nursing and the visitors from the Institute of Nursing at the Ternopil State Medical University. Plans are being finalized to continue partnerships.

Thanks to the Ukranian physicians' visit, a collaborative endeavor has already materialized for USC Upstate in terms of an academic exchange with the TSMU. From July 10 to August 11, a five-week course entitled "Complementary and Alternative Practices In Medicine" will be taught on the USC Upstate campus and on the Internet, and includes a 10-day visit to the Ukraine from July 22-31.

"The Ukrainians are the foremost experts in the world about the use of herbs in lieu of manufactured medicines," said Dowell. "As part of this course, they will teach our students how to grow, prepare and administer the appropriate herbs for certain diseases."

Dowell also states that this type of collaborative coursework provides the opportunity for students to be exposed to many new views of healthcare delivery, and provides many opportunities for faculty and student exchanges that could lead to joint teaching, research, and publishing ventures.

For more information, contact Dowell at (864) 503-5444.

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