Little did Johns Hopkins Children’s Center nurses know they would play a role in Nelson Mandela’s dream to build a children’s hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. But last fall, three Johns Hopkins pediatric nurses found themselves in the new, 200-bed Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital to assess the facility and its nursing needs, and share their own experience in providing care for children.

“They wanted to learn what we’re doing to determine what they may need,” says Dörte Thorndike, a 20-year veteran pediatric nurse with experience working in international hospitals. “They were genuinely interested in how we practice nursing here.”

In evaluating nursing at Mandela Children’s Hospital, the Johns Hopkins nurses met with leaders and nurses at the hospital. They also visited other hospitals and nursing schools in South Africa to get a sense of the quality of nursing education and practice guidelines in South Africa. Among their questions: “What kind of patients do you care for? What does your work structure look like? How would you describe the role of the charge nurse and nurse educator?” recalls Dawn Luzetsky, assistant director of pediatric nursing.

“Where did they see problems in nursing care? Could they achieve the nursing standards we set? How do they educate their nurses?” adds Thorndike. “We had to figure out where they are and where they want to be.”

While the Johns Hopkins pediatric nurses found a modern and spacious children’s hospital with state-of-the-art medical equipment, they felt the nurses needed more training to provide first-rate care in such a tertiary care facility. Among the recommendations in their comprehensive 45-page report was implementation of a train-the-trainer model, in which Mandela Children’s Hospital nurses would visit Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and take what they learned back to their colleagues in South Africa. They submitted the report to Jhpiego, which funded the trip through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development.

What lessons did the Johns Hopkins pediatric nurses bring home?

“They have fewer resources than we have, but because they are so dedicated and hardworking, they manage to provide great care,” says Luzetsky.

“I loved it,” says Thorndike. “I really enjoy talking to people from other cultures and backgrounds.”

“Such experiences create a special kinship with nurses around the world that allows for the sharing of nursing knowledge and a renewed appreciation for diverse cultures,” adds Judy Rohde, director of pediatric nursing at Johns Hopkins.