Authors

  1. Morse, Brenna L. PhD, FNP-BC, NCSN, CNE, PMGT-BC

Article Content

Global Perspectives is a class activity that may be used for remote or face-to-face nursing courses and can address any nursing topic, while supporting learner progress toward developing competencies such as those involving community resources, health systems, cost, and care equity. For the activity, each student is assigned a condition or diagnosis from the course unit. Students collect information from the textbook and web sources regarding local practices used to assess, address, and teach the patient about the condition and their care. Next, students use scholarly and common web sources to evaluate approaches to the condition globally. Students may choose any nation external to the one in which they are attending school for comparison. The group reconvenes to share findings and discuss reasons for differences globally. A rich conversation including topics of culture; geography; care access; resource availability; funding models; and political, social, and historical factors can emerge in the classroom. Students have shared interesting findings such as a relation between World War II and the availability of insulin, factors leading to fewer appendectomies outside of the United States, as well as personal or familial experiences with differences in care across locations. The activity and resulting discussion can also promote future nurses' acknowledgment and acceptance of patient preferred treatments when such approaches may not be standard or first-line locally.