I N TERN ATI ON AL N URSI N G LEAD ERSH I P RELATED TO TH E D RUGS PH EN OM EN ON : A CASE STUD Y OF TH E PARTN ERSH I P EXPERI EN CE BETW EEN TH E I N TER- AM ERI CAN D RUG ABUSE
CON TROL COM M I SSI ON ( CI CAD ) AN D TH E UN I VERSI TY OF ALBERTA- FACULTY OF N URSI N G1
Mar ia da Glor ia Miot t o Wr ight2 Cat her ine Caufield3 Genevieve Gr ay4 Joanne Olson3 Alicia del Car m en Ludueña5 Flor Yesenia Musayon Oblit as6 Julia Huaiquian Silva7 Helena Mar ia Scher low ski David8 Ket t y Ar acely Piedr a Chavez9 Mar ía Car m en Ber nal Roldán10 Mar ia do Hor t o Font our a Car t ana11 Mar ia Magdalena Allonso Cast illo12 Sandra Pillon13 Sueli Apar ecida Fr ar i Galer a13 Ver a Randuz11
Wr ight MGM, Caufield C, Gr ay G, Olson J, Car m en AL, Musayon FYO, et al. I nt er nat ional nur sing leader ship r elat ed t o t he dr ugs phenom enon: A case st udy of t he par t ner ship exper ience bet w een t he I nt er - Am er ican Dr ug Abuse Cont r ol Com m ission ( CI CAD) and t he Univer sit y of Alber t a- Facult y of Nur sing. Rev Lat ino- am Enfer m agem 2005 novem br o- dezem br o; 13( núm er o especial) : 1102- 17.
I n t his ar t icle, t he aut hor s discuss t he value of int er nat ional healt h in advancing t he nur sing pr ofession t hr ough t he developm ent of st r ong leader ship in t he ar ea of dr ug dem and r educt ion. Par adigm s for nur sing leader ship ar e br iefly r eview ed and linked t o t he developm ent of t he “ I nt er nat ional Nur sing Leader ship I nst it ut es” or ganized by t he I nt er - Am er ican Com m ission for t he Cont r ol of Dr ug Abuse ( CI CAD) . The “ I nt er nat ional Nur sing Leader ship I nst it ut es” have facilit at ed t he im plem ent at ion of Phase I I I of t he CI CAD Schools of Nur sing Pr oj ect : a) planning and im plem ent ing t he fir st “ I nt er nat ional Resear ch Capacit y- Building Pr ogr am for Nur ses t o St udy t he Dr ug Phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica” , b) developm ent of Regional and Nat ional St r at egic Plans for Nur sing Pr ofessionals in t he Ar ea of Dem and Reduct ion in Lat in Am er ica, and c) pr epar at ion of a docum ent t hat pr ovides guidelines on how t o include dr ug cont ent int o under gr aduat e and gr aduat e nur sing cur r icula. The ar t icle also br ings r eflect ions dir ect ly fr om sever al of t he part icipant s in t he fir st I nt er nat ional Resear ch Capacit y- Building Pr ogr am for Nur ses t o St udy t he Dr ug Phenom enon in t he Am er icas, offer ed in collabor at ion w it h t he Facult y of Nur sing at t he Univer sit y of Alber t a in Edm ont on, Canada. These r eflect ions dem onst r at e t he m ult iplicit y of w ays in w hich t his capacit y- building pr ogr am has m ade it easier for t hese m em ber s of Lat in Am er ican Schools of Nur sing t o show leader ship in t he ar ea of dr ug dem and r educt ion.
DESCRI PTORS: leader ship; capacit y- building; r esear ch; nur sing
LI DERAZGO I NTERNACI ONAL EN ENFERMERÍ A RELACI ONADA AL FENÓMENO DE LAS DROGAS: UN ESTUDI O DE CASO DE LA EXPERI ENCI A DE COLABORACI ÓN ENTRE LA COMI SI ÓN I NTERAMERI CANA PARA EL CONTROL
DEL ABUSO DE LAS DROGAS ( CI CAD) Y LA UNI VERSI DAD DE ALBERTA-FACULTAD DE ENFERMERÍ A
En est e ar t ículo, los aut or es debat en el valor de la salud int er nacional par a el avance de la pr ofesión de enfer m er ía a t r avés del desar r ollo de un sólido lider azgo en el ár ea de r educción de la dem anda de dr ogas. Los par adigm as de lider azgo de enfer m er ía son br evem ent e r evisados y t iene apoyado el desar r ollo de la ser ie de “ I nst it ut os I nt er nacionales de Lider azgo de Enfer m er ía” , or ganizados por la Com isión I nt er am er icana par a el Cont r ol del Abuso de Dr ogas ( CI CAD) . Los “ I nst it ut os I nt er nacionales de Lider azgo de Enfer m er ía” han ser vido com o facilit ador es de la im plem ent ación de la Fase I I I del Pr oyect o de la CI CAD de las Escuelas de Enfer m er ía: a) planeam ient o e im plem ent ación del pr im er “ Pr ogr am a I nt er nacional de Capacit ación de Enfer m er as( os) par a Est udiar el Fenóm eno de las Dr ogas en Am ér ica Lat ina” , b) desar r ollo de los Planes Est r at égicos Regionales y Nacionales par a la Pr ofesión de Enfer m er ía en el Ár ea de la Reducción de la Dem anda de Dr ogas y c) pr epar ación de un docum ent o dir ect r iz de com o incluir el cont enido de dr ogas en los cur r ículos de pr egr ado y post gr ado de enfer m er ía. El ar t iculo pr esent a t am bién las consider aciones de los diver sos par t icipant es del pr im er Pr ogr am a I nt er nacional de Capacit ación par a Enfer m er as( os) , r ealizado en colabor ación con la Facult ad de Enfer m er ía de la Univ er sidad de Alber t a, Edm ont on, Canadá. Est as consider aciones dem uest r an la m ult iplicidad de m aner as que el pr ogr am a de capacit ación ha pr esent ado a los m iem br os de las Escuelas de Enfer m er ía de Am ér ica Lat ina par a avanzar el lider azgo en el ár ea de Reducción de la dem anda de dr ogas.
DESCRI PTORES: lider azgo; capacit ación; invest igación; enfer m er ía
LI DERANÇA I NTERNACI ONAL EM ENFERMAGEM RELACI ONADA AO FENÔMENO DAS DROGAS: UM ESTUDO DE CASO DA EXPERI ÊNCI A DE COLABORAÇÃO ENTRE A COMI SSÃO I NTERAMERI CANA PARA O CONTROLE
DO ABUSO DAS DROGAS ( CI CAD) E A UNI VERSI DADE DE ALBERTA-FACULDADE DE ENFERMAGEM
Nest e ar t igo, os aut or es discut em o valor da saúde int er nacional par a o avanço da pr ofissão de enfer m agem at r avés do desenvolvim ent o de um a sólida Lider ança na ár ea de r edução da dem anda de dr ogas. Os par adigm as de Lider ança em enfer m agem são br evem ent e r evisados e t êm apoiado o desenvolvim ent o de um a sér ie de “ I nst it ut os I nt er nacionais de Lider ança em Enfer m agem ” , or ganizados pela Com issão I nt er am er icana par a o Cont r ole do Abuso de Dr ogas ( CI CAD) . Os “ I nst it ut os I nt er nacionais de Lider ança em Enfer m agem ” t êm ser vido com o facilit ador es da im plem ent ação da Fase I I I do Pr oj et o da CI CAD das Escolas de Enfer m agem : a) planej am ent o e im plem ent ação do pr im eir o “ Pr ogr am a I nt er nacional de Capacit ação de Enfer m eir os no Est udo do Fenôm eno das Dr ogas na Am ér ica Lat ina” , b) desenvolvim ent o de Planos Est r at égicos Regionais e Nacionais par a a Pr ofissão de Enfer m agem na Ár ea da Redução da Dem anda de Dr ogas e c) pr epar ação de um docum ent o de dir et r izes de com o incluir o cont eúdo de dr ogas nos curr ículos de gr aduação e pós- gr aduação em enfer m agem . O ar t igo apr esent a t am bém as consider ações dos div er sos par t icipant es do pr im eir o Pr ogr am a I nt ernacional de Capacit ação par a Enfer m eir as( os) , r ealizado com a colabor ação da Faculdade de Enfer m agem da Univer sidade de Alber t a, Edm ont on, Canadá. Est as consider ações dem onst r am a m ult iplicidade de m aneir as que o pr ogr am a de capacit ação t r ouxe par a os m em br os das Escolas de Enferm agem da Am ér ica Lat ina par a avançar a Lider ança na ár ea de r edução da dem anda de dr ogas.
DESCRI TORES: lider ança; capacit ação; pesquisa; enfer m agem
1
The opinions expr essed in t his ar t icle ar e t he sole r esponsabilit y of t he aut hor s and do not in any w ay r epr esent t he posit ion of t he or ganizat ion t hey w or k at or it s adm inist r at ion; 2 PhD, I nt er - Am er ican Dr ug Abuse Cont r ol Com m ission/ CI CAD - Or ganizat ion of Am er ican St at es/ OAS/ US; 3 RN, PhD, Univer sit y of Alber t a/ Facult y of Nur sing/ Canada; 4 RN, RM, M.Sc, Univ er sit y of Alber t a/ Facult y of Nur sing/ Canada; 5 RN, M.Nur s, Nat ional Univ er sit y of Cor doba/ Ar gent ina; 6 RN, MEd.&Res., Per uvian Univer sit y Cayet ano Her edia/ Per u; 7 RN, M.Nur s, Univer sit y of Concepción/ Chile; 8 RN, PhD, St at e Univer sit y of Rio de Janeir o/ Br azil; 9 RN, MCH, Univer sit y of Guayaquil/ Ecuador ; 10 RN, MEd, Nat ional Univer sit y of Colôm bia/ Colôm bia; 11 RN, PhD, Feder al Univer sit y of Sant a Cat ar ina/ Br azil; 12 RN, MPH, Nat ional Univer sit y of Nuevo Leon/ México; 13 RN, PhD, Univer sit y of São Paulo/ Br azil
I NTRODUCTI ON
W
it h t he beginning of t he 21st Cent ur y, it isalr eady ev ident t hat t he nur sing pr ofession w ill face
new challenges. Am ong t he m acr o det er m inant s and
condit ioning fact ors influencing nursing profession, t he
ex er cise of leader sh ip, an d t h e con du ct of r esear ch
w i t h i n t h e p r o f e s s i o n a r e a l s o t h e p o l i t i c a l a n d
econom ic st abilit y of t he count r ies; int er nat ional and
nat ional securit y; healt h and environm ent al condit ions;
and scient ific and t echnological adv ances.
These new realit ies w ill influence t he direct ion
t he nur sing pr ofession w ill t ak e t o w or k t oget her t o
so l v e p r o b l e m s u si n g sci e n t i f i c e v i d e n ce , a n d t o
dem on st r at e n ew m odels of leader sh ip t o deal w it h
t he consequences of t he globalizat ion process, as w ell
a s w i t h i ssu e s r e l a t e d t o t h e d r u g p h e n o m e n o n ,
v i ol en ce, i n cr ease i n r ef u g ees, d eg r ad at i on of t h e
en v i r o n m en t , h eal t h car e r ef o r m , i n f o r m at i o n an d
t echnology, t er r or ism and bio- t er r or ism act s; t he aging
of our populat ions, new dem ands in t he j ob m ar k et ,
and new m odels of par t ner ships( 1 - 3 ).
The developm ent of new m odels of leader ship
based not only on indiv idual char act er ist ics, but also
o n t h e a b i l i t y t o u se sci e n t i f i c a n d t e ch n o l o g i ca l
ev iden ce f or t h e solu t ion of pr oblem s an d con f lict s,
requires a com binat ion of effor t s from individuals and
w h a t t h e n u r si n g p r o f essi o n o f f er s co l l ect i v el y a s
r e s o u r c e s , s t r a t e g i e s a n d e n v i r o n m e n t f o r
d ev elop m en t( 4 ).
Th e adv an cem en t of t h e n u r sin g pr of ession
i n La t i n A m e r i c a r e q u i r e s t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f
int er nat ional and nat ional effor t s and par t ner ships. A
good ex am ple of such effor t is t he r ole of t he I nt er
-Am er ican Dr u g Con t r ol Com m ission ( CI CAD) in t h e
a d v a n c e m e n t o f n u r s i n g e d u c a t i o n , p r a c t i c e
( ex t en si o n act i v i t i es) an d r esear ch i n t h e f i el d o f
dem and r educt ion in Lat in Am er ica. Educat ing nur ses
t o w or k in t he field of dem and r educt ion r equir es a
com binat ion of int ernat ional and nat ional com m it m ent
an d ef f or t s w it h con t in u ed f in an cial su p p or t t o see
r esult s ov er t he shor t , m edium , and long t er m .
I n 1997, CI CAD, w it h financial suppor t fr om
t he Gover nm ent of Japan init ially, and lat er fr om t he
U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d Ca n a d a , i n i t i a t e d a u n i q u e
ex per ien ce w it h select ed sch ools of n u r sin g in Lat in
Am er ica. The goal w as t o pr epar e facult y and, t hr ough
t hem , fut ur e nur sing gr aduat es t o w or k in t he field of
d em an d r ed u ct ion w it h act iv it ies r elat ed t o h ealt h
p r om ot ion , p r ev en t ion of d r u g u se an d ab u se, an d
social in t egr at ion . Th is ex per ien ce w as div ided in t o
f ou r ph ases: Ph ase I - pilot ex per im en t w it h a f ew
s c h o o l s o f n u r s i n g ; Ph a s e I I - e x p a n d i n g t h e
ex per ien ces t o ot h er sch ools of n u r sin g; Ph ase I I I
-developm ent of r egional and int er nat ional par t ner ships
t o p r ov id e r esear ch cap acit y - b u ild in g p r og r am s f or
n u r sin g f acu lt y ; an d Ph ase I V - im p lem en t at ion of
n ew m od els of n u r sin g in t er v en t ion in t h e f ield of
dem an d r edu ct ion .
Th i s p a p e r p r e s e n t s a n e w s c h o l a r l y
l e a d e r s h i p m o d e l d e v e l o p e d b y CI CAD w i t h t h e
collabor at ion of t h e Un iv er sit y of Alb er t a- Facu lt y of
Nur sing, t o pr epar e nur sing facult y t o st udy t he dr ug
phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica. The facult y at t he Lat in
Am er ican Schools of Nur sing t hat par t icipat ed in t his
unique and significant experience have been posit ioned
t o play a lead role in redefining nurses’ roles in societ y,
f or m in g f u t u r e n u r sin g an d h ealt h p r of ession als in
t h e i r co u n t r i e s t h r o u g h v i si o n a r y a n d i n n o v a t i v e
cur r icula, w it h an em phasis on t he dr ug phenom enon
and int er nat ional healt h. They w ill build science and
t echnology in t he field of dr ug dem and r educt ion, and
w ill t r ansfer k now ledge t hr ough t echnology t o public
policies t hat are m ore consist ent w it h current societ al
d em an d s.
Pa r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e CI CA D / U n i v e r s i t y o f
Alber t a pr oj ect w er e st r en gt h en ed by t h e pr ogr am ,
w hich inv olv ed a nur sing leader ship m odel based on
k n o w l e d g e t h a t t r a n sf o r m s so ci e t y. Th e p r o g r a m
offer ed a life- last ing ex per ience t hat w ill m ult iply in
Lat in Am erica and influence t he t ransform at ion of t he
k now ledge societ y in t he fut ur e.
N EW LEA D ER S H I P P A R A D I G M S A N D
MODELS
The advancem ent of globalizat ion in t he w or ld
h as op en ed f r on t ier s f or n ew lead er sh ip p ar ad ig m s
a n d m o d el s. Th ese n eed t o m eet t h e j o b m a r k et
dem ands and, at t he sam e t im e, offer t heor et ical and
oper at ional foundat ions for pr oblem solv ing based on
scient ific evidence. Globalizat ion is a dynam ic process
involving t he flow of goods, capit al, people, and ideas
and t he int erconnect ion of act ivit ies in different sect ors
of societ y( 5- 6).
Th e d e v e l o p m e n t p r o c e s s i n v o l v e s f o u r
fundam ent al concept s: pow er, int er est , know ledge and
leader ship for policy design and decision- m aking. The
t h e p r o c e s s o f d e v e l o p m e n t d y n a m i c a n d
p r o g r essi v e( 7 ). Th e n ew l ead er sh i p p ar ad i g m s an d
m od els t h at w ill ad v an ce t h e n u r sin g p r of ession in
t h e XXI st cen t u r y n eed t o t ak e t h ese elem en t s in t o
considerat ion t o creat e a cadre of new nursing leaders
t h a t w i l l m a k e e d u ca t i o n , p r a ct i ce , a n d r e se a r ch
d y n am ic, in t eg r at iv e, an d p r og r essiv e p r ocesses t o
r espond t o t he challenges of a global w or ld. The leader
in t his par adigm becom es a t r ansfor m at ional leader( 8).
A c c o r d i n g t o S e l a n d e r s( 9 ), Fl o r e n c e
Nigh t in gale’s t h ou gh t s, v alu es an d act iv it ies pr ov ide
elem en t s of a t r an s- v ision ar y lead er sh ip p ar ad ig m .
The leader in t his par adigm uses ex per t k now ledge,
posit ion, and oppor t unit y as a pow er base for decision
m ak ing and for cr eat ing per m anent social change.
Lu c e y( 1 0 ) i n t r o d u c e s t h e c o n c e p t o f
“ adv en t u r e” as par t of a n ew par adigm , becau se of
t h e co m p l e x e n v i r o n m e n t w e l i v e i n t o d a y. Sh e
em ph asizes t h at , w h en n u r ses see leader sh ip as an
advent ur e, t hey w ill develop “ adv ent ur e sk ills”, such
as assessm en t sk ills, in t er p er son al com m u n icat ion
sk ills, an d or g an izat ion al sk ills. A lead er w h o sees
lead er sh ip as an ad v en t u r e is d ed icat ed t o lif elon g
lear n in g .
Le m i r e( 1 1 ) e m p h a si z e s t h e i m p o r t a n ce o f
leader ship dev elopm ent as par t of nur sing educat ion
r e sp o n si b i l i t i e s. Sh e su g g e st s t h a t a n i n n o v a t i v e
leader ship educat ion m odel is an im por t ant elem ent
f o r g u i d i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a p r o g r e s s i v e
l e a d e r sh i p cu r r i cu l u m t h a t w i l l co n t r i b u t e t o t h e
acq u isit ion of n ew lead er sh ip b eh av ior s w it h in t h e
pr of ession . Sh e pr oposes a “ Leader sh ip Edu cat ion al
Model” t hat is based on int egr at ion, pr ogr ession and
evolving processes. Wit hin t his m odel, a leader w ould
becom e a visionar y, as w ell as an exper t , an achiever,
a cr it ical t hinker, a com m unicat or and a m ent or.
Hem phill( 12) indicat es t hat t her e is an ur gent
need t o int egr at e educat ion, pr act ice and r esear ch t o
m eet t he new dem ands of societ y and achieve a new
p r o f i l e o f l e a d e r sh i p . Sh e a d d r e sse s t h e n e e d t o
subst it ut e t he old paradigm of st ruct ur al isolat ion and
cult ural individualizat ion w it h one t hat gives em phasis
t o collabor at ion , com m it m en t an d par t n er sh ip. Th is
m o d e l o p e n s p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r t h e c r e a t i o n o f a
t r an sf or m at ion al lead er.
Pesut( 13) provides a vision for leadership based
on t he process of renew al. I t involves aspect s relat ed
t o sel f, ser v i ce, sch o l ar sh i p o f r ef l ect i v e p r act i ce,
science, societ y, and spir it , w hich all allow for m or e
cr eat iv e, t hought ful and inspir ing leader s.
Accor din g t o som e Lat in Am er ican au t h or s,
t h e n e w l e a d e r sh i p p a r a d i g m a n d m o d e l s sh o u l d
ad d r ess social t r an sf or m at ion , b ased on t h e u se of
science and t echnology t o solve pr oblem s and decision
m a k i n g . Th e l e a d e r b e c o m e s a n “ a g e n t o f
t r ansfor m at ion” w it hin t he cont ext s( he) is par t of( 14).
Tak ing int o considerat ion t he new paradigm s
a n d m o d e l s o f l e a d e r s h i p , CI CA D c r e a t e d a
m echanism t o st r engt hen nur sing leader ship in Lat in
Am e r i ca n co u n t r i e s. Th r e e “ I n t e r n a t i o n a l Nu r si n g
Leader ship I nst it ut es” for Deans and Coor dinat or s of
Gr aduat e Nur sing Pr ogr am s fr om elev en count r ies in
Lat in Am erica w ere im plem ent ed w it h financial support
fr om t he U. S. Gov er nm ent .
Th e t h r ee Leader sh ip I n st it u t es t h at CI CAD
or ganized in 2003, 2004 and 2005 had t he follow ing
ob j ect iv es: ( i) p r om ot e in t er act ion , in t eg r at ion an d
s h a r i n g o f e x p e r i e n c e s a m o n g D e a n s a n d
Co o r d i n a t o r s o f Gr a d u a t e Nu r si n g Pr o g r a m s f r o m
eleven count r ies fr om Lat in Am er ica w it h Deans fr om
Canada and t he Unit ed St at es; ( ii) develop a r egional
a n d n a t i o n a l st r a t e g i c p l a n s t o a d v a n ce n u r si n g
educat ion, r esear ch and pr act ice in Lat in Am er ica in
t he field of dem and reduct ion; ( iii) develop curriculum
gu idelin es t o pr om ot e t h e in clu sion of in t er n at ion al
h e a l t h a n d d r u g p h e n o m e n o n i s s u e s w i t h i n
u n der gr adu at e an d gr adu at e n u r sin g pr ogr am s; an d
( iv) develop leader ship know ledge and skills t o acquir e
polit ical and scient ific support at int ernat ional, nat ional
and local lev els.
CI CA D h a s p l a y e d a n i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n
pr om ot in g t h e cr eat ion of a n ew n u r sin g leader sh ip
pr ofile in Lat in Am er ica and, at t he sam e t im e, has
o p en ed o p p o r t u n i t i es f o r n ew p a r t n er sh i p m o d el s
am ong schools of nur sing in count r ies fr om t he Nor t h
and t he Sout h of t his hem ispher e. Only w it h a clear
k now ledge and under st anding of t he for ces t hat ar e
sh ap i n g an d l ead i n g t h e d i r ect i o n s o f t h e n u r si n g
p r of ession in t h e XXI cen t u r y w ill it b e p ossib le t o
c r e a t e a n d s u s t a i n t h e s e n e w f o r m s o f n u r s i n g
leader ship in t he Am er icas.
A s i m p o r t a n t a s t h e c r e a t i o n o f a n e w
l e a d e r sh i p m o d e l i s t h e p r o v i si o n f o r l e a d e r sh i p
su ccession , an id ea t h at or ig in at ed in t h e b u sin ess
w o r l d . Acco r d i n g t o Co n g e r a n d Fu l m e r( 1 5 ), i t i s
im por t ant t o cr eat e a succession m anagem ent syst em
t hat w ill build a st eady, reliable pipeline of leadership
t alent s. For t hem , succession planning and leadership
dev elopm en t in v olv es get t in g t h e r igh t sk ills in t h e
I n so m e w a y s, w i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f
“ I n t er n at ion al Nu r sin g Leader sh ip I n st it u t es,” CI CAD
is prom ot ing an alt ernat ive pat h t o achieving t he final
goal of adv ancing t he nur sing pr ofession in t he field
of dem and r educt ion in Lat in Am er ica.
The im por t ance of t he I nt er nat ional Nur sing
Leader sh ip I n st it u t es is t h at t h ey h av e allow ed t h e
par t icipan t s t o f ace t h e oppor t u n it ies an d h ist or ical
c h a l l e n g e s i n t h i s g l o b a l i z e d w o r l d , u s i n g n e w
lead er sh ip cap acit ies an d sk ills. Th ese lead er s ar e
int erest ed in cont ribut ing w it h professional know ledge,
t echnology and int er vent ions in t he ar ena of t he dr ug
p h e n o m e n o n - e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e a r e a o f d e m a n d
r edu ct ion , as t h ey iden t if y t h e m an y pr oblem s t h at
d er iv e f r om d r u g s an d r elat ed p r ob lem s: v iolen ce,
t er r or ism , acciden t s, self- pr ov ok ed in j u r ies, an d t h e
a p p e a r a n ce o f so ci a l p r o b l e m s su ch a s p o v e r t y,
delin qu en cy an d m ar gin alit y.
Leader s r ecognize t hat t hey should act fr om
d i f f e r e n t p e r s p e c t i v e s , s u c h a s i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y
ed u cat i o n , so ci al p r act i ce, p u b l i c p o l i cy, r esear ch ,
t ech n ology an d cu lt u r al div er sit y. Th u s, t h ey sh ou ld
u se t h eir capacit ies of f u t u r e global v ision , cr eat iv e
and st rat egic t hinking, negot iat ion, and act ion orient ed
t o decision m ak ing.
TH E CI CAD AN D UN I V ERSI TY
ALBERTA-FACU LT Y O F N U RSI N G P ART N ERSH I P
EXPERI ENCE
Du r in g 2 0 0 0 , CI CAD en t er ed in t o Ph ase I I I
of t he Nursing Schools Proj ect in t he ar ea of Dem and
Redu ct ion in Lat in Am er ica. On e of t h e act iv it ies of
Ph ase I I I of t h is pr oj ect w as t h e dev elopm en t of a
new Model of Technical Cooperat ion ( TC) , as a pr ocess
t o build par t ner ships w it h univ er sit ies in Canada and
t he Unit ed St at es t o car r y out “ I nt er nat ional Resear ch
Capacit y - Bu ildin g Pr ogr am s for Nu r ses t o St u dy t h e
Dr ug Phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica.”
I nit ially, CI CAD sent invit at ions t o one School
of Nur sing in Canada - Facult y of Nur sing of Univer sit y
of Alber t a/ Canada; and t w o Schools of Nur sing in t he
Unit ed St at es - t he School of Nur sing of t he Universit y
of Michigan/ Ann Ar bor ; and School of Nur sing of t he
Univ er sit y of Mar y land. They w er e inv it ed t o be par t
of a n ew Model of Tech n ical Cooperat ion t o pr epar e
Lat i n Am er i can n u r si n g f acu l t y t o f u r t h er d ev el o p
r esear ch m et h odologies t o con du ct st u dies on dr u g
phenom enon issues in t he areas of healt h prom ot ion,
p r e v e n t i o n o f d r u g u s e a n d a b u s e , a n d s o c i a l
in t egr at ion .
The pr ocess of TC bet w een CI CAD and t hese
t hree universit ies involved t he follow ing st eps: CI CAD
( i) pr epar ed a Mem or andum of Under st anding ( MOU)
an d sen t it t o t h ese Sch ools of Nu r sin g; ( ii) sen t a
r ep r esen t at iv e f r om CI CAD as an of f icial v isit or t o
t h e t h r e e S c h o o l s o f N u r s i n g ; ( i i i ) i n v i t e d
r ep r esen t at i v es o f t h ese Sch o o l s t o p ar t i ci p at e i n
int er nat ional m eet ings or ganized by CI CAD in Mexico,
Br azil an d Per u d u r in g 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 5 ; ( iv ) p r ep ar ed a
schedule for t he im plem ent at ion of t he “ I nt er nat ional
Resear ch Cap acit y - Bu ild in g Pr og r am s f or Nu r ses t o
St udy t he Dr ug Phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica” ; and
( v ) p r ep ar ed a “ Let t er of I n t en t ” t o im p lem en t t h e
“ Fi r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Re s e a r c h Ca p a c i t y - B u i l d i n g
Pr ogr am for Nur ses t o St udy t he Dr ug Phenom enon
in Lat in Am er ica” at t he Univ er sit y of Alber t a- Facult y
o f N u r si n g / Ed m o n t o n / Al b e r t a / Ca n a d a d u r i n g t h e
Su m m er o f 2 0 0 3 , w i t h f i n an ci al su p p o r t f r o m t h e
Gov er n m en t of Can ad a.
To facilit at e t he pr ocess of TC, t he Facult y of
Nu r sin g of t h e Un iv er sit y of Alber t a/ Can ada in v it ed
t h e r ep r esen t at iv e of CI CAD t o b e Ad j u n ct Facu lt y
dur ing 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 and, in t he sum m er of 2 0 0 2 , t he
CI CAD r ep r esen t at iv e w as r esp on sib le f or t each in g
a g r ad u at e su m m er co u r se en t i t l ed “ I n t er n at i o n al
Healt h an d Nu r sin g Leader sh ip”. Du r in g 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 ,
CI CA D a n d t h e Fa c u l t y o f N u r s i n g p l a n n e d a n d
or ganized t he progr am and t he cur r iculum for t he “ Fir st
I nt er nat ional Resear ch Capacit y - Building Pr ogr am for
N u r se s t o St u d y t h e D r u g Ph e n o m e n o n i n La t i n
Am er ica”. I n t he fall of 2 0 0 2 , CI CAD, t he Facult y of
Nur sing of t he Univ er sit y of Alber t a/ Canada and t he
Deans of fift een Schools of Nur sing dist r ibut ed in t en
c o u n t r i e s o f La t i n Am e r i c a , s e l e c t e d t h e e l e v e n
ca n d i d a t e s w h o p a r t i ci p a t e d i n t h i s p r o g r a m . I n
Fe b r u a r y o f 2 0 0 3 , CI CAD r e ce i v e d t h e f i n a n ci a l
s u p p o r t f r o m t h e Go v e r n m e n t o f Ca n a d a t o
im plem ent t he “ Fir st I nt er nat ional Resear ch Capacit
y-Bu ildin g Pr ogr am ”.
Th e 1 1 n u r ses par t icipat in g in t h e pr ogr am
w er e educat or s and leader s at t heir univ er sit ies. The
m ost sign if ican t com pon en t of t h e pr ogr am w as it s
in t er n at ion al v ision , w h ich m an dat ed an an aly sis of
st u d y p h en om en a ( r ed u cin g d r u g d em an d ) f r om a
holist ic and crit ical perspect ive, using bot h quant it at ive
I m p o r t an t st r at eg i es u sed i n t h e p r o g r am
included discussion am ong colleagues and pr ofessor s
fr om t h e Un iv er sit y of Alber t a Facu lt y, Un iv er sit y of
Alber t a facult y m ent or ship on r esear ch pr oj ect s and
academ ic sessions w it h exper t s in dr ug phenom enon.
The facilit ies, infr ast r uct ur e, dat abases, bibliogr aphies
a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y o f f e r e d b y t h e
Univer sit y of Alber t a w er e fact or s t hat allow ed t he 11
n u r se s t o g a i n si g n i f i ca n t l i f e l o n g l e a r n i n g sk i l l s.
Am o n g t h e l esso n s l ea r n ed , t h o se t h a t st a n d o u t
include w orking in collaborat ive net w orks and learning
abou t t ech n ical cooper at ion , academ ic m obilit y, t h e
need for t echnology t ransfer, r esear ch out com es, and
d i f f e r e n t w a y s o f c r e a t i n g n e w s p a c e s a n d
oppor t unit ies for nur sing in r educing dr ug dem and.
I N TERN ATI ON AL RESEARCH CAPACI
TY-BUI LDI NG PROGRAM
“ Th e Fir st I n t er n at ion al Resear ch Cap acit y
-Building Pr ogr am for Nur sing Facult y t o St udy t he Dr ug
Phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica” w as im plem ent ed w it h
t e c h n i c a l a n d f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t f r o m CI CAD - t h e
Gover nm ent of Canada, and t he Univer sit y of Alber t
a-Facu lt y of Nu r sin g du r in g t h e su m m er of 2 0 0 3 . Th e
p r og r am t ook on e y ear an d w as d iv id ed in t o t h r ee
par t s. Par t I of t he pr ogr am w as im plem ent ed onsit e
at t h e Un iv er sit y of Alb er t a- Facu lt y of Nu r sin g an d
w as com posed of t h r ee Modu les, w h ich em ph asized
t h e f ollow in g asp ect s: ( i) Mod u le I - I n t er n at ion al
Healt h an d t h e Dr u g Ph en om en on ; ( ii) Mod u le I I
-The Dr ug Phenom enon in t he Am er icas; ( iii) Module
I I I - Re s e a r c h M e t h o d o l o g i e s ( Q u a l i t a t i v e a n d
Qu a n t i t a t i v e Me t h o d s) . Pa r t I I i n v o l v e d d i st a n ce
m en t or in g w h en t h e p ar t icip an t s r et u r n ed t o t h eir
co u n t r i es t o i m p l em en t t h e m u l t i - cen t r i c r esear ch
st udies. Part I I I involved t he process of com m unicat ion
and dissem inat ion of t he r esult s of r esear ch st udies
at n at ion al an d in t er n at ion al con fer en ces, m eet in gs,
w or k shops and in peer r ev iew ed publicat ions.
For t he pr ocess of publicat ion, anot her let t er
o f a g r e e m e n t b e t w e e n CI CAD a n d Un i v e r si t y o f
Alber t a- Facu lt y of Nu r sin g w as sign ed, det ailin g t h e
nat ur e and aut hor ship of t he m anuscr ipt s t hat w ould
r esult fr om t his unique ex per ience.
Th e elev en n u r ses w h o p ar t icip at ed in t h e
p r og r am w er e en r olled as “ Lat in Am er ican Visit in g
Sch olar s” an d cam e f r om Ar gen t in a ( 1 ) ; Br azil ( 5 ) ,
Chile ( 1) , Colom bia ( 1) , Ecuador ( 1) , Mex ico ( 1) and
Per u ( 1) . The Facult y of Nur sing at t he Univ er sit y of
Alber t a pr ovided a “ Specializat ion Cer t ificat e” for t hose
w h o h a d a Ma st er s D eg r ee, a n d a “ Po st - D o ct o r a l
Cer t ificat e” for t hose w it h Doct or al Degr ees.
This pr ogr am w as int ended t o develop Mult
i-Cent ric Research Proposals on drug issues in t he areas
of healt h pr om ot ion, pr ev ent ion of use and abuse of
dr ugs, and social int egr at ion. The m ain t opic for t he
developm ent of t he m ult i- cent r ic r esearch st udies w as
“ Wom en, Dr ugs and Violence in Lat in Am er ica”. The
par t icipant s w er e div ided int o four gr oups t o dev elop
t h e r esear ch pr oposals, u sin g m u lt i- cen t r ic r esear ch
appr oaches. The com posit ion of t he gr oups and ar eas
of concent r at ion of t he st udies accor ding t o t he m ain
t opic is pr esent ed below :
: c i p o T n i a
M "Women,DrugsandViolenceinLaitn
" a c i r e m A : n o i t a r t n e c n o C f o a e r
A "HeatlhPromoiton"
: y d u t S h c r a e s e R c i p o
T "Women'sHeatlhandQuailtyofLife"
: I p u o r G f o n o i t i s o p m o
C RepresentaitvefromArgenitna(1) ) 2 ( li z a r B m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R ) 1 ( e li h C m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R : c i p o T n i a
M "Women,DrugsandViolenceinLaitn
" a c i r e m A : n o i t a r t n e c n o C f o a e r
A "PrevenitonofUseandAbuseofDrugs"
: y d u t S h c r a e s e R c i p o
T "Women'sUseandAbuseofDrugsand
f o t x e t n o C e h t n i e c n e l o i V " y t i n u m m o C : I I p u o r G f o n o i t i s o p m o
C RepresentaitvefromEcuador(1) ) 1 ( li z a r B m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R : c i p o T n i a
M "Women,DrugsandViolenceinLaitn
" a c i r e m A : n o i t a r t n e c n o C f o a e r
A "PrevenitonofUseandAbuseofDrugs"
: y d u t S h c r a e s e R c i p o
T "Women'sDrugsConsumpitonand
k r o W e h t n i e c n e l o i V " t n e m n o r i v n E : I I I p u o r G f o n o i t i s o p m o
C RepresentaitvefromBrazli(1) ) 1 ( o c i x e M m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R ) 1 ( u r e P m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R : c i p o T n i a
M "Women,DrugsandViolenceinLaitn
" a c i r e m A : n o i t a r t n e c n o C f o a e r
A "SocialIntegraiton"
: y d u t S h c r a e s e R c i p o
T "Women'sSocialIntegraitonintheContext " y li m a F e h t f o : V I p u o r G f o n o i t i s o p m o
C RepresentaitvefromBrazli(1) ) 1 ( a i b m o l o C m o r f e v it a t n e s e r p e R
The m ult i- cent r ic r esear ch gr oups had a t ot al
o f t h r ee a d v i so r s f r o m t h e Un i v er si t y o f Al b er t a
-Fa cu l t y o f N u r si n g a n d o n e r e p r e se n t a t i v e f r o m
CI CAD . Th e r eq u i r em en t s f o r p r o g r am co m p l et i o n
w e r e : ( i ) co n cl u si o n o f r e se a r ch st u d i e s b y e a ch
par t icipant of t he pr ogr am w it hin t heir ow n count r y ;
( i i ) p r e p a r a t i o n a n d p r e se n t a t i o n t o CI CAD o f a
( S p a n i s h o r Po r t u g u e s e ) ; ( i i i ) p r e p a r a t i o n a n d
pr esent at ion of a “ Post er ” at t he “ Fir st I nt er nat ional
Nu r si n g Re se a r ch Fo r u m i n t h e Fi e l d o f D e m a n d
Redu ct ion in Lat in Am er ica”, or gan ized by CI CAD in
co l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e Un i v er si t y o f Sã o Pa u l o a t
Ribeir ão Pr et o College of Nur sing, WHO Collabor at ing
Cent r e for Nur sing Resear ch Developm ent , Br azil and
t he Nat ional Univer sit y of Hondur as in August of 2004;
( i v ) p r e p a r a t i o n a n d p r e se n t a t i o n t o CI CAD o f a
publishable m anuscr ipt ( in t heir ow n language) about
t h e r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s f o r s u b m i s s i o n t o a p e e r
r e v i e w e d j o u r n a l . Th e p u b l i c a t i o n s i n v o l v i n g
com p ar at iv e r esu lt s of t h e st u d ies b et w een g r ou p s
w ill be done in a follow - up phase of t he pr ogr am , and
t hey w ill be published in English or anot her language.
LATI N AM ERI CAN N U RSI N G FACU LTY:
SCHOLARLY LEADERSHI P EXPERI ENCE
Cou n t r y : Ar g en t in a
Un iv er sit y : Nat ion al Un iv er sit y of Cor doba
Visit in g Sch olar : Alicia d el Car m en Lu d u en a, R. N. ;
M. Nu r s.
Per son al Ex p er ien ce:
This int ernat ional course allow ed m e t o enrich
m y p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e w i t h i m a g e s , v a l u e s ,
c u s t o m s , k n o w l e d g e a n d e m o t i o n s f r o m a
h et er ogen eou s gr ou p of per son s w h o liv ed t oget h er
in solidar it y and ex er cised r espect for differ ences on
a d aily b asis. Th is ex p er ien ce r ein f or ced m y sp ir it
a n d co n v i ct i o n s t o a cce p t ch a l l e n g e s, st r e n g t h e n
com m unicat ion sk ills and r eflect on how w e use our
sm all and daily spher es of fr eedom .
Pr og r am Ex p er ien ce:
Th e p r o g r a m a d o p t e d a c o m p r e h e n s i v e
a p p r o a c h , c o v e r i n g a c a d e m i c , p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d
p er son al act iv it ies, w h ich m ain t ain ed an ad eq u at e
r hy t hm t o achiev e t he pr ogr am goals. The academ ic
p r o g r a m o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e a l t h a n d t h e D r u g
Phenom enon, t he Dr ug Phenom enon in t he Am er icas
a n d Resea r ch Met h o d o l o g i es d i scu ssed t h em es o f
cen t r al an d par am ou n t im por t an ce in t h e f or m at ion
of nur ses inv olv ed in t he social and healt h r ealit y of
t heir respect ive count ries and in t he form at ion of new
hum an r esour ces. This w as accom panied by enr iching
e x p e r i e n ce s, e sp e ci a l l y l i b r a r y u se , co n t a ct w i t h
t raining inst it ut ions such as t he Facult y of Nursing and
t he I nt ernat ional I nst it ut e for Qualit at ive Met hodology,
and dir ect cont act w it h Canadian colleagues inv olv ed
in in t er n at ion al p r og r am s. Wit h in t h e p r og r am , t h e
En glish lan gu age cou r se w h ich t h e t each er s of f er ed
w it h gr eat t echnical and hum an abilit y had a special
m ean in g . Th is cou r se p r ov id ed a v alu ab le t ool an d
ex er t ed sign if ican t in f lu en ce on ou r possibilit ies f or
p r of ession al d ev elop m en t .
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
The dev elopm ent of t his cour se allow ed m e
t o car r y out m y r esear ch pr oj ect w it hout difficult ies.
Th e or gan izat ion of t h e r esear ch su per v ision du r in g
t his process has been ext r em ely fruit ful. Applying t he
qu alit at iv e m et h odologies h as been h igh ly u sef u l t o
im pr ov e aspect s in all spher es of m y pr ofession.
Per son al I m p act :
I c o n t i n u e i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h p e o p l e f r o m
dif f er en t Lat in Am er ican cou n t r ies, w h o h elp m e t o
e v a l u a t e m y i n d i v i d u a l a n d c o l l e c t i v e p r o j e c t s ,
successful and failed ex per iences in a bet t er w ay.
Cou n t r y : Per u
Un iv er sit y : Un iv er sit y Per u an a Cay et an o Her edia
Visit ing Scholar : Flor Yesenia Musayon Oblit as, R. N. ;
Med. & Res.
Co m m e n t s:
This I nt er nat ional Resear ch Training Pr ogr am
a b o u t t h e D r u g s Ph e n o m e n o n h a s h e l p e d m e t o
p r o p o se a n d l e a d n e w st u d i e s i n t h i s a r e a a n d ,
m o r e o v e r, p r o v i d e t e c h n i c a l a d v i c e t o n e w
r esear cher s w ho w ant t o for m ulat e pr oposals for dr ugs
research. Hence, as a result of t his t raining program ,
I h av e b een d esi g n at ed as a m em b er o f t h e f i r st
Resear ch Coor dinat ion t eam at t he Facult y of Nur sing
o f t h e U n i v e r s i d a d Pe r u a n a Ca y e t a n o H e r e d i a ,
r espon sible for plan n in g n ew st r at egies t o st im u lat e
and achiev e leader ship in healt h r esear ch in gener al
an d d r u g s r esear ch in p ar t icu lar. Now , d u e t o t h e
r esear ch sk ills I acquir ed, I r epr esent t he Facult y at
t he level of t he univer sit y, as a m em ber of t he Teaching
Re se a r ch Co m m i t t e e , w o r k i n g w i t h o t h e r f a cu l t y
m em b er s on an in n ov at iv e p r op osal t h at in cr eases
t he universit y’s current lead posit ion as a result of it s
research act ivit ies. At t he sam e t im e, m y Facult y has
asked m e t o r epr esent t he inst it ut ion as a m em ber of
t he scient ific com m it t ee inv olv ed in t he or ganizat ion
of t h e Pan - Am er ican Nu r sin g Resear ch Colloq u iu m ,
chair ed by our Facult y, w hich t his year w ill call upon
nurses from all over t he Am erican cont inent t o discuss
a n d p r o p o se st r a t eg i es f o r st r en g t h en i n g n u r si n g
research in our count ries. Finally, given t he fact t hat ,
h as m an ag ed t o t u r n ou r Facu lt y of Nu r sin g in t o a
n at ion al ben ch m ar k as a t r ain in g in st it u t ion t h at is
w or king ser iously t o decr ease t he dr ugs use and abuse
p r ob lem in t h e Per u v ian p op u lat ion , it h as b ecom e
easier for m e t o apply for r esear ch funding fr om public
ag en ci es.
Per son al ex p er ien ce:
The oppor t unit y t o w or k w it h nur ses fr om ot her
count r ies dur ing a long per iod gave m e a w ider vision
of t he Lat in Am er ican sit uat ion, t he com m on pr oblem s
an d t h e possible solu t ion s t o t h em by t ak in g as an
ex am ple t he dev eloped count r ies’ appr oach, t o hav e
a l so a cl ea r v i si o n o f t h e d r u g p r o b l em f r o m t h e
per spect ive of each one of t hem in it s ow n r ealit y and
cult ur e. Fur t her m or e, I t hink t hat , event ually, in t he
near fut ure, w e w ill be able t o int eract in a bet t er w ay
day by day.
Pr og r am ex p er ien ce:
I t is t he fir st pr ogr am of w hich I can give an
accu r at e t est im on y becau se it in clu ded t h e an aly sis
o f p r o b l e m s a n d t h e d i scu ssi o n o f o p i n i o n s f r o m
d i f f e r e n t r e a l i t i e s , c u l t u r e s a n d e x p e r i e n c e s . I n
a d d i t i o n , i n v est i g a t i o n s w er e m a d e b y t h o se w h o
p a r t i ci p a t ed i n t h ei r o w n r ea l i t y. I n t h i s w ay, w e
obt ained a cont r ibut ion t o our ow n societ y and t o our
j o b s.
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
We car r ied ou t an in v est ig at ion t h r ou g h ou t
t h e pr ogr am w h ich en h an ced ou r r esear ch abilit ies.
To have an idea in m ind and t o develop it dur ing 365
days of t he year and t o see t he pr ogr ess day by day,
t o discuss it w it h t he advisor or ot her par t icipant s, t o
solv e pr oblem s t oget her - all t hat helped t o im pr ov e
all of t he abilit ies t hat scient ific research requires and
w hich t he r esear cher her self should dev elop.
Per son al im pact :
Wh en I w as t old ab ou t m y p ar t icip at ion in
t his pr ogr am , t he idea of being aw ay fr om m y fam ily
did not let m e t hink about it clear ly. To live away fr om
h om e w as v er y h ar d f or m e, alt h ou gh t h e sacr if ice
w a s w o r t h i t b e c a u s e I g a i n e d p r o f e s s i o n a l
ex per ien ce. All m y fam ily gav e m e t h e su ppor t an d
h elp I n eeded t o su r v iv e t h ose day s w it h ou t t h em .
That dem onst r at es t hat love is st r onger t han dist ance
a n d t h a t t h e m u t u a l su p p o r t i s a si g n o f f a m i l y
in t egr at ion .
Pr of ession al im p act :
To iden t ify t h e pr oblem s, t o an aly ze an d t o
inv est igat e t hem has enr iched m y pr ofessional life in
m any w ay s. Fir st of all, t he r esear ch allow ed m e t o
analyze m y r ealit y as an em ployee and as a w om an,
as a per son vulner able t o t he influence of drugs, and
t h a t I a n d a l so m a n y o t h e r w o m e n h a v e t o f a ce
difficult sit uat ions and be exposed t o t he r isk of get t ing
int o dr ugs. Also, t o analyze new t hings about nur sing,
new t echnology, new t heor ies, new scient ific t ools t o
fight t he problem successfully, as w ell as how research
is possible, and how t o develop successful pr ogr am s.
The t eacher is m uch bet t er t eaching t hings t hat have
alr eady been inv est igat ed. By m y ow n ex per ience, I
can say t hat it is possible t o st at e t hat per sons w ho
d o r e s e a r c h c a n t e a c h b e c a u s e t h e y h a v e t h e
k n ow ledge, sin ce t h ey t h em selv es in v est igat ed an d
w ill be t he ones w ho m ot iv at e t he st udent s t o k now
t he fact s and invest igat e t oo. Finally, t here is a great
p r o f e ssi o n a l co n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e Pe r u v i a n so ci e t y
becau se, as ev er y body k n ow s, k n ow ledge m ak es it
possible t o car r y out pr event ion pr ogr am s successfully
w it h t he only goal of r educing dr ug consum pt ion t hat
cau ses b i g d am ag es t o o u r p eo p l e, co u n t r i es an d
societ ies.
Cou n t r y : Ch ile
Un iv er sit y : Un iv er sit y of Con cepción
Visit ing Scholar : Julia Huaiquian Silv a, R.N.; M.Nur s.
Pr og r am ex p er ien ce:
The pr ogr am w as v er y v ar ied and cov er ed a
w ide r ange of r elevant infor m at ion t hat helped m e t o
obt ain an int er nat ional view of t he dr ugs phenom enon.
Mor eov er, it gav e m e t h e t ools n eeded t o appr oach
t his pr oblem in m y count r y and, t hus, help t o w or k
t ow ar ds a solut ion t o t his huge dr ugs pr oblem on a
nat ional and int er nat ional scale. Aft er par t icipat ing in
t he pr ogr am , I have been invit ed in m y count r y t o be
par t of t he gr oup w ho leading t he effor t s t o r at ify a
f r a m e w o r k a g r e e m e n t t o r e g u l a t e t o b a c c o
consum pt ion. I hav e also offer ed t w o w or k shops on
ant i- t obacco st r at egies in Buenos Air es and Sant iago.
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
Th i s ex p er i en ce h as al l o w ed m e t o g et t o
k n o w a n d d e v e l o p , i n a m o r e d e t a i l e d se n se , a
q u alit at iv e r esear ch m et h od olog y lik e Et h n og r ap h y
an d t o r ecogn ize m y gr eat affin it y w it h qu an t it at iv e
r esear ch . Aft er m y st ay in Can ada, I h av e r eceiv ed
g r eat er r ecog n it ion f r om m y p eer s an d h av e b een
inv it ed t o par t icipat e in a univ er sit y r esear ch gr oup,
w hich has applied for and gained t w o r esear ch pr oj ect
con t est s.
Per son al I m p act :
t r e m e n d o u s c h a l l e n g e , w h i c h t u r n e d m e i n t o a
st r on ger an d bet t er pr epar ed w om an t o liv e in t h is
w or ld full of good and bad t hings. I n a couple of hour s,
m y life changed fr om being a w om an - m ot her, w ife,
h ou sew if e an d pr of ession al in t o a w om an – f or eign
st udent w ho did not under st and w hat t he r est of t he
w or ld w as say in g an d w h o cou ld n ot com m u n icat e
w hat she w as t hinking t o ot her s. This r equir ed m e t o
m ak e m y b est ef f or t t o m an ag e an d com m u n icat e
w it h t he Canadians, w hose English pr onunciat ion w as
v er y differ ent fr om w hat I had list ened t o at hom e.
My h e a r t h a d t o b e a r a n d o v e r co m e t h e
f eelin g s of b it t er n ess, solit u d e an d sad n ess cau sed
by being aw ay fr om m y loved ones, m y husband and
daught er s, but t his dist ance ser ved t o st r engt hen t he
bonds t hat unit e m e w it h m y beaut iful fam ily.
Pr of ession al I m p act :
My p ar t icip at ion in t h is ex p er ien ce allow ed
m e t o b r oad en m y v iew of t h e w or ld , it s d if f er en t
cu lt u r es an d in t er n at ion al n u r sin g. Liv in g in su ch a
cosm opolit an count r y for t hr ee m ont hs, t oget her w it h
t e n n u r s e s f r o m d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r i e s , e x e r t e d a
p r o f e s s i o n a l i m p a c t t h a t w i l l b e h a r d t o f o r g e t
because, aft er t his t r ip, I hav e a m uch clear er v iew
of w hat I w ant and w hat I hav e t o do t o r each t he
goals I am aim ing for.
Th i s e x p e r i e n c e i n c r e a s e d m y En g l i s h
l a n g u a g e k n o w l e d g e , w h i c h h a s o p e n e d n e w
d ev elop m en t op p or t u n it ies, as I can g et access t o
int er nat ional k now ledge in m y ar ea.
Cou n t r y : Br azil
Univ er sit y : St at e Univ er sit y of Rio de Janeir o
Visit ing Scholar: Helena Maria Scherlow ski Leal David,
R. N. ; Ph. D.
Per son al Ex p er ien ce:
I had a splendid t im e in Canada and it w as,
b e s i d e s b e i n g a c a d e m i c a l l y s t r e n g t h e n i n g , a n
o p p o r t u n i t y f o r m a k i n g n e w f r i e n d s. Th e su p p o r t
pr ov ided by t he t eacher s at t he Univ er sit y of Alber t a
Facult y of Nur sing m ade us feel “ at hom e” and allow ed
us t o face t he dist ance from our fam ilies and cult ure.
Can ad ian m u lt icu lt u r alism is t h e cen t r al issu e t h at
m ak es t his count r y so fr iendly and r ich.
Pr og r am Ex p er ien ce:
The m et hodological appr oaches gav e us t he
t ools t o develop our r esear ch, using t he m ost adequat e
m et hod t o allow for t he dev elopm ent of an accur at e
a n d r el i a b l e st u d y. Th er e w er e so m e g a p s i n t h e
t h eor et ical com p on en t of t h e Pr og r am , sp ecif ically
about Healt h Pr om ot ion and Healt h Educat ion concept s
an d applicat ion s.
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
So far, t he research developm ent has show ed
m e t hat dr ug use and abuse is an issue t hat m ust be
ex am in ed in sev er al differ en t w ay s an d t h at w e, as
nur se- r esear cher s, m ust be aw ar e of t he im por t ance
of t his issue, keeping a polit ical, social, biological and
psy ch ological cr it ical v iew . Lat in Am er ican cou n t r ies
m ust , t her efore, invest in t his kind of capacit y- building
p r o g r am .
Per son al an d Pr of ession al I m pact :
The achiev em ent of a deeper under st anding
about t he dr ug phenom enon and t he oppor t unit y t o
live in a com plet ely different cult ure had an im port ant
and ver y posit ive im pact in m y per sonal and academ ic
b ack g r ou n d .
Cou n t r y : Ecu ad or
Un iv er sit y : Un iv er sit y of Gu ay aqu il
Visit in g Sch olar : Ket t y Ar acely Piedr a Ch av ez, R. N. ;
M. C. H.
Per son al Ex p er ien ce:
I t could only have been a dr eam t o close t he
br each t h at separ at es u s f r om ot h er cou n t r ies t h at
con fr on t t h e pr ocess of globalizat ion efficien t ly, if it
w er e n o t f o r t h e i n i t i at i v e an d co o p er at i o n o f t h e
CI CAD Pr oj ect of Nur sing Schools for Lat in Am er ica.
Th e Mo d a l i t y a p p l i e d b r e a k s t h e o l d sch e m e s o f
Un i v e r si t y Ed u ca t i o n , i n t r o d u ci n g u s i n t o a n e w
paradigm of Andragogy, w hich is t he ar t of educat ing
adu lt s.
Pr og r am Ex p er ien ce:
I t w a s a m o d e l o f a c r o s s - c u l t u r a l a n d
academ ic exper ience t hat should be copied by ot her s
inv olv ed in t eaching t o adult s.
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
The hum anist ic and scient ific k now ledge has
b een t r em en d ou sly sig n if ican t in t h e ap p licat ion of
t he quant it at iv e m et hodological pat t er ns, w hich hav e
been analy zed t hor oughly t hr ough t he inst allat ion of
t h e St at ist ical I n f or m at ics Pack ag es, sh ow in g m or e
pr odu ct iv it y an d ef f icien cy.
Per son al I m p act :
D u e t o t h e h i g h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f b e i n g
indicat ed by t he School of Nur sing of t he Univ er sit y
of Guayaquil, I becam e com m it t ed t o being a st udent
a n d t o t r a i n i n g s t u d e n t s w h o a r e p e r p e t u a l l y
aut onom ous and r espond t o t he dem ands and social
Educat ion in t he XXI cent ur y.
Pr of ession al I m p act :
Th e r e co g n i t i o n o f t h e a u t h o r i t i e s o f t h e
Universit y of Guayaquil and t he indicat ion of t he School
of Nur sing in t he cont ext of t he Univer sit y Com m unit y
h a s a l l o w e d m e , a s a Re s e a r c h S p e c i a l i s t w h o
possesses t he scient ific rigor required in t he research
a r e a :
a) To par t icipat e in pr oposals for Nur sing Car e Design,
Plan n in g an d Ev alu at ion . Th is pr oj ect is r equ ir ed by
t h e Hosp it al Ed u cat ion Sy st em of t h e Un iv er sit y of
Guayaquil, w hich is a com plex and innovat ive cont ext
t hat has init iat ed a pr ocess of car e ex cellence w it hin
t he healt h sy st em of Ecuador.
b) As t he coor dinat or of t he r esear ch and developm ent
unit , I w ill st r engt hen t he t ut or ing at under gr aduat e
an d gr adu at e lev el w it h in n ov at iv e, in t egr at iv e an d
expansionist act ions required from t his Unit , now and
in fut ur e scenar ios.
Cou n t r y : Colom b ia
Un iv er sit y : Nat ion al Un iv er sit y of Colom bia
Visit ing Scholar : Mar ia Car m en Ber nal Roldán, R. N. ;
MEd.
Co m m e n t s:
H a v i n g t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f s e e i n g t h e
professional developm ent of Nur sing, in a count r y like
Ca n a d a , w h e n I v i si t e d Ho sp i t a l s a n d Ce n t e r s o f
Healt h, I felt m ot ivat ed t o cr eat e a r esear ch pr oposal
an d see in w h at f or m s I can con t r ibu t e t o pr odu ce
beneficial changes, considering t he social, polit ical and
econom ic condit ions of m y count r y.
Per son al Ex p er ien ce:
I st r engt hened m y abilit y t o com m unicat e and
r ead in En g lish . Th is h as b een b en ef icial t o m e as
m u ch scien t if ic m at er ial is w r it t en in t h is lan gu age,
a n d h a s h el p ed m e t o m a k e m y n u r si n g p r a ct i ce
ev i d en ce- b ased .
Pr og r am Ex p er ien ce:
I t w as a v er y v aluable pr ogr am . I benefit ed
from hearing w hat ot her professionals ar e cont ribut ing
t o t h e ar ea o f d r u g d em an d r ed u ct i o n . Al l o f t h e
t h em es dev eloped in t h e pr ogr am ar e applicable t o
t he const ruct ion of t he nursing profession of t he fut ure.
I t was useful t o at t end t his pr ogram in anot her count r y,
as it allow ed m e t o recognize t he im port ance of cult ural
d if f er en ce an d t o con sid er t h e cu lt u r al d iv er sit y of
t his global v illage w hen offer ing nur sing car e.
Resear ch Ex p er ien ce:
Part icipat ing in t his course has allow ed m e t o
g a i n a p r a ct i ca l u n d e r st a n d i n g o f t h e q u a l i t a t i v e
r esear ch pr ocess an d t o r ecogn ize t h at t h is t y pe of
r esear ch is very im por t ant for m e as a nur se. I t helps
m e t o deepen aspect s of t he int egr it y of hum an beings
a n d t o b r i n g t o g e t h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d p o p u l a r
know ledge. I r ecognized t hat t he Univer sit y of Alber t a
has a gr eat st r engt h in qualit at iv e r esear ch, w it h it s
I n t er n at ion al I n st it u t e of Qu alit at iv e Met h odology. I
h av e alr eady begu n apply in g t h e k n ow ledge gain ed
in t his pr ogr am t o m y w or k in t he under gr aduat e and
post - degr ee pr ogr am s at t h e Nat ion al Un iv er sit y of
Colom bia, specifically in t he m at ernal - perinat al area.
I p a r t i ci p a t e i n t h e CI CAD / OAS co m m i t t ee o f t h e
Facult y, w hich is developing different act ivit ies in order
t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e p e r s o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e
st udent s and com m unit y.
Per son al I m p act :
The pr ogr am has sensit ized m e t o t he dr ug
phenom enon and helped m e t o r ecognize t hat t her e
is a great influence of t he environm ent t hat propit iat es
t h e u se of d r u g s. For ex am p l e, t h e g r eat p ov er t y
associat ed w it h difficult sit uat ions of underem ploym ent
a n d i n f o r m a l e m p l o y m e n t , l o w e d u ca t i o n a l l e v e l ,
m alnut r it ion, fam ily violence and alt er at ions in social,
em ot ion al an d psy ch ological equ ilibr iu m s.
Pr of ession al I m p act :
Th is w as an im p or t an t p r og r am f or m e. I t
w as m y fir st ex posur e t o I nt er nat ional Healt h and I
st r engt hened m y k now ledge in t he ar ea of t he dr ug
phenom enon in Lat in Am erica and in aspect s of social
in t eg r at ion . I r ecog n ized t h at n u r sin g h as a g r eat
pot ent ial t hat can be dev eloped in t he ar ea of dr ugs
con su m pt ion pr ev en t ion , car e f or addict s an d social
int egrat ion. This pot ent ial can be especially developed
t o su p p o r t a d o l e sce n t s a n d y o u n g p e o p l e a n d t o
pr om ot e healt hy behavior s in all hum an developm ent
cycles, in or der t o cont r ibut e t o decr ease t his pr oblem
in our societ y. I have br ought t he k now ledge gained
f r o m t h i s p r o g r a m i n t o m y p r o f e ssi o n a l t e a ch i n g
pr act ice in bot h under gr aduat e and gr aduat e pr ogr am s
at t he Facult y of Nur sing and in ex t ension pr ogram s.
For ex am ple, I cr eat e aw ar en ess am on g cou ples in
m y m at er nit y and pat er nit y pr epar at ion cour se ( t aken
by par ent s dur ing t he pr enat al st age and w it h m ot her s
dur ing post par t um per iod) t hat t her e ar e diver se w ays
t o be happy and t o cope w it h pr oblem s in a healt hy
w ay. The v isit t o healt hcar e pr ov ider s allow ed m e t o
r e co g n i ze t h e n u r se ’ s i m p o r t a n ce i n a sp e ct s l i k e
e d u ca t i o n . Th i s m o t i v a t e s m e t o t a k e m a x i m u m
o f h eal t h car e ser v i ces an d I t r an sm i t t h i s t o m y
st udent s. By law , in our count r y consult at ion t im e is
lim it ed t o 20 m inut es, w hich is a very shor t t im e. Som e
day, I hope t o be able t o im pact on policies t o expand
t h e con t act t im e w it h u ser s, in or der t o st r en gt h en
t he int egr it y of car e for hum an beings.
Cou n t r y : Br asil
Un iv er sit y : Feder al Un iv er sit y of San t a Cat ar in a
Visit in g Sch olar : Mar ia d o Hor t o Fon t ou r a Car t an a,
R. N. ; Ph. D.
Co m m e n t s:
Th e Fi r st I n t e r n a t i o n a l Ca p a ci t y - Bu i l d i n g
Pr o g r a m f o r N u r s i n g Fa c u l t y t o St u d y t h e D r u g
Phenom enon in Lat in Am er ica, im plem ent ed w it h t he
t echnical and financial suppor t of CI CAD/ Gov er nm ent
of Canada, in w hich I had t he oppor t unit y t o par t icipat e
in 2003, w as a unique chance t o j oin nursing leader s
f r o m 7 co u n t r i es t o ad v an ce t h ei r k n o w l ed g e an d
const ruct collect ive st rat egies t o cope w it h a problem
t h eir cou n t r ies h av e in com m on : d r u g s ab u se. Th e
p r o g r a m i n cl u d e d t h e o r e t i ca l t r a i n i n g , p r e se n t i n g
cont ent s dir ect ly r elat ed t o t he phenom enon of dr ugs
abu se in t h e n at ion al an d in t er n at ion al con t ex t s. I t
a l s o c o v e r e d o p e r a t i o n a l c o n t e n t s o n a d e q u a t e
research m et hodologies for different nat ional realit ies.
At t h e en d o f Par t I o f t h e Pr o g r am , p ar t i ci p an t s
con st r u ct ed m u lt i- cen t r ic r esear ch p r oj ect s, j oin in g
t h e st u den t s’ an d t h e adv isor s’ ef f or t s t o con st r u ct
r e se a r ch p r o p o sa l s t h a t co u l d b e a p p l i e d i n t h e
differ ent nat ional r ealit ies.
Per son al Ex p er ien ce:
Par t icipat ing in t his pr ogr am w as at t he sam e
t im e enr iching and challenging. Enr iching exper iences
i n c l u d e d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o l i v e w i t h n u r s i n g
co l l e a g u e s f r o m o t h e r r e a l i t i e s o v e r a n e x t e n d e d
per iod of t im e. Living w it h a gr oup of unknow n per sons
allow ed for bonding and fr iendship, discov er ing j oint
int er est s, v alues and hidden pot ent ials. The sam e is
t r u e f o r t h e f r i e n d l y w e l co m i n g b y t h e Ca n a d i a n
f acu lt y, w h o t r ied t o u n d er st an d an d ov er com e t h e
cult ur al differ ences bet w een t he count r ies, pr ov iding
support in fragile t im es and celebrat ing individual and
collect iv e conquest s. The challenging aspect inv olv ed
ov er com ing differ ences in language and habit s. This
d i f f e r e n t r e a l i t y r e q u i r e d c o n s t a n t e f f o r t s t o
under st and and be under st ood, t o r ecognize and liv e
in harm ony w it h t he peculiarit ies of t he Canadian w ay
of life, as w ell as t hat of ot her colleagues fr om Lat in
Am er i ca .
Pr og r am ex p er ien ce:
Th e o p p o r t u n i t y t o d eep en m y k n o w l ed g e
ab ou t t h e t h em e w as ex t r em ely p osit iv e. Th r ou g h
d i scu ssi on s an d r esear ch , w e u n d er st ood t h at t h e
dr ugs abuse phenom enon inv olv es m any fact or s and
is highly com plex . We also deepened our analy ses of
nat ional and int er nat ional cont ex t s and t heir m ut ual
r elat ions in t he genesis of t he pr oblem .
Resear ch ex p er ien ce:
Th e con st r u ct ion of a m u lt i- cen t r ic r esear ch
pr oj ect on h ealt h pr om ot ion r elat ed t o dr u gs abu se
w as n ot easy. Var iou s ch ar act er ist ics p laced t h e 4
nurse researchers and 2 advisors in different posit ions
as t o possible m et h odological opt ion s, t h e select ion
o f s t u d y c o n t e x t s a n d t h e o r e t i c a l r e f e r e n c e
fr am ew or k s, besides differ ences in daily pr ofessional
a ct i v i t i e s. Th e co n st r u ct i o n o f o n e si n g l e p r o j e ct
r equir ed sever al m om ent s of negot iat ion, t r anslat ions
b a ck a n d f o r t h b et w een Sp a n i sh , Po r t u g u ese a n d
English, besides a st eady confidence in t he possibilit y
o f c o n s t r u c t i n g j o i n t p r o p o s a l s a m o n g d i f f e r e n t
r ealit ies. When t he pr oj ect becam e a r ealit y and w as
appr ov ed by t he Et hics Com m it t ee at t he Univ er sit y
of Alber t a, t his r epr esent ed t he com plet ion of a j oint
ef f or t , in w h ich t h e sim ilar it ies an d t h e id en t it y of
Nu r si n g o v e r ca m e t h e d i f f i cu l t i e s a n d d i f f e r e n ce s
bet w een people and nat ions.
Per son al im pact :
O n e p e r s o n a l i m p a c t p r o v i d e d b y t h i s
exper ience w as t he cr eat ion of bonds of com r adeship
and fr iendship w it h people fr om differ ent or igins. Bot h
m y colleagues fr om Lat in Am er ica and fr om Canada
b ecam e p ar t of m y p er son al an d p r of ession al lif e,
and I st ill keep cont act w it h t hem . How ever, I believe
t hat t he m ain per sonal im pact w as t he cr eat ion of a
gr oup ident it y. By t ak ing dist ance fr om t he cont ex t I
w as fam iliar w it h, I could perceive m yself as a Lat
in-Am e r i ca n n u r se , w i t h p o t e n t i a l s t o d e v e l o p a n d
lim it at ion s t o ov er com e, w it h con t r ib u t ion s t o of f er
and t o accept , a per son w ho is par t of t his gr oup.
Pr of ession al im p act :
Th e p r o g r a m ’ s m a i n i m p a c t w a s t h e
u n d er st an d in g of t h e d r u g s p h en om en on as m u lt
i-f act or ial, t r an sn at ion al an d com plex . Un der st an din g
and coping w it h t his phenom enon r equir es invest m ent s
f r o m t h e w h o l e so ci et y an d , i n t h i s scen ar i o , t h e
pr esence of nur sing st ands out . Based on t he pr ogr am
and t he ex per ience of r ealizing t he r esear ch pr oj ect ,
I const r uct ed gr ow ing confidence t o t ake a st and about
