Nurses International

What Nurses International is

Nurses International is a non-profit that gives nursing students and educators free course material and helps nursing schools build and run their programs. Its own summary, repeated at the foot of every page, reads: "Nurses International is a non-profit focused on helping nurses obtain the education and the support they need to make a positive difference in patient outcomes worldwide." The home page title, "Free Curriculum & Program Support," names the two halves of the work, and the site's own description puts it as providing "free curriculum materials & expert support to help nursing schools in low- and middle-income countries thrive."

Three short statements on the home page set out the mission: "We make nurse education accessible to students and educators worldwide," "We establish nursing programs where they're needed most," and "We teach nurses how to become community health leaders worldwide." The longer text explains the aim behind them: the organization puts "learning materials into the hands of nurse educators and students so that nurses in developing countries can obtain the education they need to bring advanced care to their communities." It is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, and the footer gives its EIN, 46-4502500.

The free course catalog

The courses page is the part a learner will use. It describes an "open-access catalog" and invites visitors to "Enroll for free in courses like Fundamentals of Nursing, Nutrition, Mental Health & more." It also says plainly that "Courses can be accessed online through our partner NextGenU.org," and sets out two routes in:

• "Individual learners may access the courses online for free from the website."
• "Nursing programs, healthcare institutions, educators, consultants, and other entities interested in using a course, or group of courses" are asked to contact the organization at info@nursesinternational.org.

So a nurse or student studying alone takes the courses at no cost, while a school, hospital or consultant that wants to build one course or a set of them into its own teaching talks to Nurses International first. There is no subscription, no per-course fee and no checkout anywhere on the pages.

The catalog lists each course by title with a link to more detail. Read together, the titles cover the main subjects of a nursing program, from entry-level care to leadership:

• Foundations: Nurse's Aide Short Course, Fundamentals of Nursing, Mathematics for Nursing Practice, Health Assessment, Pharmacology, and Nutrition in Nursing.
• Clinical specialties: Medical-Surgical 1, Pediatric Nursing Part 1, Pediatric Nursing Part 2, Pediatric Oncology, Oncology Nursing, Mental Health Nursing and Maternal Health.
• Community, leadership and teaching: Population and Community Health, Leadership and Management, and Preceptor Development for Healthcare Workers.

The last title stands apart. Preceptor Development for Healthcare Workers is addressed to working clinicians rather than students, so a hospital or clinic whose staff precept nursing learners has a course of its own in the catalog. At the other end, the Nurse's Aide Short Course gives a starting point for someone entering care work before a full nursing program. Neither page says whether finishing a course earns a certificate or contact hours.

Resources for students and educators

Alongside the courses, the site gathers free reference material for students and the people who teach them:

• NCLEX Practice Questions.
• A Nurse Educator's Compendium.
• An EKG Guide.
• Hospital Policies.
• An Open Access Curriculum, with a separate Curriculum Guide. The home page is emphatic on cost: "We don't charge a penny for our Open Access Curriculum."
• Nursing Program Administrative Resources, for the people running a school rather than teaching in it.
• Bangladesh Health Project Resources, with a page about the Bangladesh Health Project.

For a nurse educator building a course from scratch, this mix of an open curriculum, a curriculum guide, hospital policies and practice questions is the most practical part of the site. A student preparing for the NCLEX gets practice questions next to the courses that cover the same subjects.

Support for nursing programs

The second half of the work is institutional. The site says it connects "colleges and institutions with experts and resources who can take their nursing programs to the next level," helps "establish new nursing programs where they're needed most," and works to "eliminate the barriers that stand between students and education."

The home page says Nurses International helps "nursing programs in low and middle income countries": it works "with strategic partners to enhance existing nursing programs at schools and universities worldwide," helping them "deliver a complete curriculum to give graduates the necessary tools, knowledge, and relationships to operate nurse-led clinics, act as primary healthcare providers, and lead holistic and positive change in the communities they call home."

Adaptation is part of that support. Under the heading "We bring students and educators together," the site says: "We didn't invent distance learning, but we're making it available where it's needed most so that students and educators have the support they need." It adds that the organization helps "educators adapt the learning materials to meet local needs through our free consulting service." That consulting service is offered at no charge, in the same way as the courses and the curriculum.

The community health strand goes further than the standard syllabus. The home page describes a curriculum "beyond a typical nursing program" that exposes students "to practical instruction in community development," so that, through "classroom instruction and internships," nurses develop the understanding and networks to address basic healthcare needs in their communities "in practical and sustainable ways."

Two networks sit under this work. The Clinical Alliance (VNIP) covers its history, approach and research, publishes white papers and a Clinical Competency Framework, and takes new members. The Academic Network, for educators, also invites institutions to join.

The organization behind it

The organization publishes its story, its directors, board members and faculty, and its research and strategies. It runs a blog, a newsletter and a Bible Study page, and takes volunteers and donations. The home page is open about how the work is paid for: "We're non-profit which means we count on the support and the involvement of people like you," followed by invitations to make a donation or get involved. Contact runs through a form and the info@nursesinternational.org address, and the organization keeps accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Who it suits

Nurses International suits nursing students and educators who need free, structured course material, especially in low and middle income countries where the organization focuses its program support. Individual learners can work through any of the listed courses on NextGenU.org at no charge, and students heading for the NCLEX can use the practice questions. Nursing schools and hospitals can draw on the Open Access Curriculum, the administrative resources and the free consulting service to adapt material to local needs, and a new nursing program can ask for help getting started. The course content itself lives on the NextGenU.org platform, so learners move between the two sites. A nurse who needs a specific number of licensing hours should check the course details on NextGenU.org before enrolling, since the Nurses International pages focus on free access and program support rather than credit.