Dr. Kim Larson lectures in Poland

Before she departed Poland at the end of her Fulbright-sponsored research and service experience in December 2023, she sent this update:

Time flies as fast in Kraków, Poland, as it does in Greenville, NC. Our research here is going well. Polish nurses want to share their perspectives on the Ukrainian refugee situation almost 2 years into the war. I’ll be presenting this work at the Southern Nursing Research Society meeting in Charlotte, in February 2024.

During fall break, two ECU nursing students, Lauren Briggs, an undergraduate senior, and Marianne Congema, a 2nd year doctoral student, joined me in Kraków. Both are working on the Ukrainian Intercultural Care project, which began in January 2023 when they completed the Global Health International Virtual Exchange course with nurse partners from Jagiellonian University in Kraków. While they were here, their partners from class took us to lunch at a wonderful Ukrainian restaurant started by refugees. Establishing an international partnership so early in their careers will take them many places. I was also thrilled with the photo they brought me of faculty waving from the faculty organization meeting. I do miss you all!

A typical day now involves interviewing, transcribing, and data analysis. A special request to me from the Dean was to give a talk on the ECU CON nursing program and how RNs in the US stay abreast of the science through continuing competence. Many thanks to Abby Paul, who collaborated on designing a stellar presentation.

In November and December, I held qualitative research workshops with Polish nursing faculty interested in community-based and mixed methods research.

Still at the end of the day, my husband and I head for a musical or theatre performance. On most nights, we can walk into a medieval music hall or church without tickets or reserved seating and hear world class quartets, orchestras, and choral ensembles.

Kim Larson, PhD, RN

US Fulbright Scholar 2023-2024