20: ENHANCING THE DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE DEGREE ■ 459■ CASE STUDY III: A DNP Student’s Perspective of a Global
Immersion Experience in Italy
Many factors influenced my decision to attend Duquesne University School of
Nursing’s DNP program. Hearing about taking part in a global experience to
explore a different health care system had a great appeal to me when introduced
during the on- campus orientation week. Our cohort was given an overview of
the various countries visited by the past groups of DNP students. Italy was men-
tioned as a possibility and I secretly hoped that we would be enjoying wine and
pasta in the summer semester of June 2014. Once announced that Italy was the
choice, the excitement was palpable on the class’s discussion board. Flights were
booked, work schedules cleared for 10 days, and lives in the United States put
on hold to immerse in a new land where many of us had never ventured.
Drs. Turk and Zoucha were assigned to be our course faculty. They sup-
ported us with not only writing our learning objectives but also ignited excite-
ment about taking in the sights and sounds of Rome and Florence. Despite
suffering from jet lag when we arrived in Rome, we readied ourselves to attend a
Papal Audience at St. Peter’s Square. Whether or not you are a Catholic, this was
an impactful experience. The message of love from Pope Francis filled the hot,
steamy square. Especially memorable was the verbal announcement of special
visitors from the podium. Our group of DNP students cheered like concert goers
when Duquesne University School of Nursing was announced. I was impressed
with my fellow cohorts’ enthusiasm and lungs. This day set the tone for a great
study abroad with a group of fellow students that we had previously known
exclusively through our interaction on an e- learning management system. How
special it was to finally get to know each other face to face and build personal
and professional bonds that will extend well past our May 2015 graduation date.
Our home base for the trip was the Duquesne’s Italian Campus (Sede
Italiano) located on the Generalate grounds of the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth in Rome. The beautiful campus is located west of downtown Rome,
just beyond Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. The nuns’ kind, spiritual, and
simple way of life was demonstrated by a lovely presentation of yogurt and fruit
for breakfast, and included sliced deli meat that was very European indeed.
Highlights of our itinerary included tours of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, the
Coliseum and the Duomo. Since Duquesne has a strong faculty presence in Italy,
these tours were led by Duquesne faculty who are based in Italy and have inside
knowledge and access to many things that made our group feel like VIPs.
Importance of family and food in Italy are engrained in the Italian culture.
It was evident to our group as we strolled through the squares and saw these
customs unfold in front of us. Many of our meals were shared together and
dinner conversations were filled with interesting topics, ranging from various
aspects of the Italian health care system, sights seen on our tours, and of course
shopping. Our cohort became infamous for making friends with the vendors at
the Florence leather market. Many of our suitcases weighed significantly more
on the way back home.
In the global world in which we now live, it is imperative that as DNP
students we have a working knowledge of the health care needs/ utilization of
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