By offering physical healing, emotional support, and important health insights, nurses can transform patients’ lives and elevate entire communities. However, their influence can extend far beyond their hometowns, with today’s nurses bringing expertise and compassion to the global stage.
Serving as powerful advocates, highly driven global nurses are determined to make a positive difference. Below, we will reveal how these passionate nurses are driving change on a broad scale and how they can influence nursing leadership in health care.
Introduction to the Role of Nurses in Global Health
Global health is an important practice that strives to bring improved health outcomes and greater equity to patients and communities all around the world. The Journal of Global Health describes this as a system-based approach to “research, education and practice” with a core goal of providing “innovative, integrated and sustainable solutions to address complex health problems across national boundaries and improve health for all.” [1]
Within this framework, nurses play a valuable role in delivering impactful solutions that transcend borders. Their unique skills and passions allow them to transform individual patients’ lives while extending their influence to emphasize local and global needs. Whether working in other countries or advocating from their own communities, these passion-driven nurses have the power to bring their vision of a healthier (and more equitable) world to life.[2]
Nurses as Global Health Advocates
As global health advocates, nurses recognize the value of helping people from all around the world improve their health and well-being. They understand that there are many ways to drive far-reaching improvements in health and wellness, and that, often, public advocacy has the greatest impact on the most people.
Advocacy allows nurses to extend their influence even when they are not physically present within global communities. They can engage in community outreach and advocate for health equity policies. Public policy expert Robyn S. Elliott encourages nurses to explore advocacy, explaining that nurses “wield tremendous influence in the public policy process.”[3] This can take many forms, but Elliott recommends “becoming active with nursing professional organizations that are engaged in advocacy work.”
Nurses in Disease Prevention and Control
Many current global health challenges have been exacerbated by weaknesses in wide-scale disease prevention efforts. While epidemiologists work hard to uncover trends and understand the spread (and impact) of infectious diseases, nurses are needed to support this effort and actually implement the programs developed by epidemiologists. They administer vaccinations to limit the spread of known diseases and are often the first healthcare workers to spot the early signs of emerging outbreaks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that proactive programs supporting infection prevention and control are particularly important in “low- and middle-income countries, where health care delivery and medical hygiene standards may be negatively affected by secondary infections.”[4]
Nurses bring a personable approach to educating patients about preventative measures, which they may otherwise be less inclined to adopt. From hand hygiene to sanitation and even lifestyle choices, nurses can provide powerful insights into the active steps each patient can take to improve their health while reducing the risk of transmission. This can have ripple effects, ultimately curbing the spread of disease.
Nursing in Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Response
From natural disasters to pandemics and even combat zones, nurses are often on the front lines, providing rapid responses to unfolding emergencies while helping to alleviate suffering. They may be involved in performing assessments and triaging patients to ensure that the most urgent issues are dealt with promptly. Nurses may also provide wound care or administer medications. Their efforts save lives and can have a dramatic effect on long-term health outcomes across entire communities.
Keep in mind that this calls for unique qualities above and beyond ‘typical’ nursing skills. While all nurses should be capable of working effectively under pressure, this takes on a new level of challenge when directly exposed to the sources of suffering. In these high-stakes situations, resilient and highly adaptable nurses can provide critical care and support, making informed decisions that spark healing while helping patients navigate difficult emotions.
Nurses as Leaders in Global Health Research
Global health research provides valuable insights into the most challenging health and wellness issues faced in diverse communities and across the vast spectrum of modern healthcare. Well-designed studies can explore gaps in care or the various interventions that promise to address these concerns. Findings provide a reliable foundation for bringing evidence-based practice to global care, all while encouraging nurses to bring sustainable and culturally competent practices to international settings.[5]
Not all global health advocates actually travel across the world to directly serve diverse populations. Many can expand their influence while remaining firmly rooted within their own communities. Global health research supports this effort, allowing nurses to dive deeply into complex data to reveal trends or patterns that impact patients locally and globally. Meta-analyses, for example, synthesize information from diverse studies and can reveal how the social determinants of health impact global care. These efforts contribute to nursing leadership in health, ensuring evidence-based practices guide international care
Global Health Nursing Education and Training Programs
Through nurse training programs, global health nurses can equip fellow professionals with the skills needed to address critical health challenges. For instance, global health nurses can help reveal gaps in care that might not immediately be evident to local patients or providers.
Drawing on evidence-based opportunities, global health nurses can help fellow healthcare professionals find and implement viable solutions that make a genuine difference in their communities. Along the way, these nurses may uncover new insights that inform their own practice, allowing them to refine both their clinical abilities and their cultural understanding.
Collaboration must also remain a priority. Experts caution against becoming shortsighted by developing a ‘savior complex’ or assumptions of superiority, as this can prevent global nurses from fully leveraging the “invaluable expertise that is often rooted in an understanding of the specific needs and challenges of their communities.”[6]
Challenges Nurses Face in Global Health
Global health faces many concerning challenges, ranging from public skepticism to budgetary constraints and beyond. Unfortunately, these issues are relevant to nurses spanning numerous specializations and geographic locations. Funding cuts limit nurses’ ability to engage in impactful prevention, testing, and treatment programs, with clinics closing or health workers being placed on leave as a result.[7]
These concerns can quickly be exacerbated by significant skill gaps, with nurses well-trained in a clinical capacity but potentially lacking the cultural awareness or other soft skills needed to provide empathetic and responsive care. These soft skill deficits could also involve critical thinking or problem-solving, hampering nurses’ ability to make the most of limited resources.
Personal challenges can be overcome with a focus on comprehensive, diversity-oriented training, with a focus on soft skills alongside clinical competencies. Upon entering the field, nurses can address challenges related to resource allocation by advocating for public policies that promote healthy equity on a global scale.
How College Students Can Get Involved in Global Health Nursing
Are you passionate about global health and eager to do your part? While your influence will expand exponentially once you enter the nursing field, there is still much you can offer while still enrolled in nursing school. This is a great time to explore new opportunities and better understand your unique interests and abilities, all while preparing to advance into a new level of nursing by completing a bridge program. As you take a deep dive into nursing coursework, don’t forget to make the most of experiences:
- Volunteering opportunities and internships. Many nursing students are proud volunteers, with some even traveling thousands of miles to provide medical support in underserved areas. This can be a deeply meaningful and fulfilling experience, but you’ll want to vet volunteer programs carefully. Be mindful of whether these promote ethically responsible care. Unable to commit to spending time abroad? No worries, as there are plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons while remaining firmly rooted in your community. Whether volunteering at community health centers or assisting with local blood drives, you will be exposed to diverse patients and should have a chance to put your cultural skills and knowledge into action.
- Joining global health-focused nursing organizations. Many nursing organizations can enhance the student experience, offering valuable insights into the most relevant challenges and opportunities in global health. Consider joining these organizations early on to learn about global health issues and to discover how you can make a difference. Options worth exploring include the Global Nursing Caucus and the International Council of Nurses. Keep in mind that local organizations can also make a discernible global impact, with organizations like the American Nursing Association (ANA) advocating for policies and standards capable of driving global change.[8]
- Pursuing advanced education and global health certificates. A strong clinical skill set can help you provide a better standard of care on behalf of global patients. This is best achieved through advanced education, which introduces you to important clinical competencies and encourages you to hone your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) can provide a strong start. Still, you can continue to elevate your skills by pursuing your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or even specialized certifications that reveal how you can apply clinical skills in global health environments.
Nurses as Global Health Champions
Passionate, empathetic, and culturally aware, nurses can play a powerful role as global health advocates, capable of driving real change in their own communities and all around the world. Through policy development and tailored education, it is possible to drive both individual transformations and systemic change. With their unique blend of skills (not to mention, their grit and passion), nurses have the ability to advocate for vulnerable populations while making a real difference in the lives of their patients.
Discover Inspiring Nursing Opportunities With Carrington College
Are you passionate about making a global impact through healthcare? Start your journey today by exploring opportunities in nursing. Whether through volunteering, advancing your education, or joining nursing organizations, your contributions can help transform healthcare worldwide. Take the first step then get involved in global health to make a difference!
Sources:
[1] Wernli, D. et al. “Moving global health forward in academic institutions.” Journal of Global Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4766794/
[2] Madigan, E. et al. “Nurses finding a global voice by becoming influential leaders through advocacy.” Clinics in Integrated Care. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2666869623000283
[3] Elliott, R. “Every Nurse Can Become an Advocate: Pathways for Meaningful Policy Change.” Journal of Radiology Nursing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1546084324001287
[4] World Health Organization. “Infection prevention and control.” https://www.who.int/health-topics/infection-prevention-and-control#tab=tab_1
[5] Baltzell, K. et al. “Impacts on Global Health from Nursing Research.” American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5392616/
[6] Beck, K. “Nurses need to think critically about international humanitarian work.” Nursing Times. https://www.nursingtimes.net/workforce/nurses-need-to-think-critically-about-international-humanitarian-work-25-10-2023/
[7] United Nations. “US funding cuts threaten global health response, WHO chief warns.” https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160081
[8] American Nurses Association. “Federal Advocacy.” https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/
