Russia Through the Eyes of an American Nurse.

This article describes the author's preliminary fieldwork in the Russian culture, which took place during 10 days in November 1998 and 10 days in April 2000. During the time she spent in Russia, the author had two major goals. The first goal was to participate as part of a team of four American nursing faculty invited to teach at the Moscow Medical Academy, and her second goal was to learn about the culture of origin of the Russian immigrants who have migrated to the United States. With the aid of interpreters, the author participated in the culture, observed the activities around her, and learned from her Russian colleagues. This second goal reflected the author's preparation as a nurse-researcher to study the experiences of Russian immigrants. The article includes reflections and general impressions of the overall experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]