Global Nursing Education

Aligned with the Seattle University mission, the College of Nursing offers opportunities for global engagement to enhance professional formation with a global health care perspective focused on the social determinants of health to better care for an ever-changing global population.

As the focus of global health is placed on improving and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide; studying, researching and practicing global health can be achieved by experiencing another culture outside of local contexts, this will also offer students the opportunity to reflect more critically on themselves, the work nurses contribute and the greater society in which we live.  

Global engagement promotes interdisciplinary and international collaboration to evaluate a transnational health issue, its determinants and solutions. However, it also creates global environment venues for continued enrichment in the area. At SU College of Nursing, the education activities, designed to offer environments in which to learn and reflect on global health nursing skills, are framed by the global engagement principles and three main concepts we value when immersed in other cultures: “to give,” “to receive” and “to explore.”  

To give refers to the work we can do while visiting a country or the organization with which we are collaborating, to receive refers to what we absorb and learn from our visit/activity and to explore is the phase where we can actively identify future opportunities or follow-up with our international work to be bi-laterally fulfilling. 

Based on this framework, the SU College of Nursing Global Health program aims to: 

• Expand the worldview of students through intentionally designed cultural immersion with reflection  
• Form culturally competent professionals  
• Develop mutually-beneficial partnerships and promote research in global health 
• Expand global to local educational and research opportunities for nursing students 
• Promote and advocate for the role of nursing in global health 
• To support new and expanding current collaborations with international universities and organizations 

Many people wonder whether education abroad is right for them and what they might expect to gain from a global experience. Research in education abroad indicates that you can expect the following impactful benefits from participation – especially on longer term programs: 

• Engagement with Social Justice – examine social justice issues at the international level
• Cross-Cultural Communication and Analytical Skills – effectively communicate across cultural differences 
• Nursing Global Health Competencies – learn and reflect on globally consensual global nursing skills  
• Cultural Perspective – understand a situation from the point of view of the host culture and gain an awareness of how our OWN history, culture, and society shape our views 
• A Global Perspective – understand yourself as a WORLD citizen and the interconnectedness of people, ideas and problems 
• Intellectual Growth – acquire specific skills (international research, global health care systems) in the field 
• Self-Reflection – explore your relationships with humanity, nature, and spirituality in the Jesuit Catholic intellectual tradition 
• Enhanced Language Proficiency – gain confidence and skills in another language while immersed in a supportive environment