Global nursing: Educating future nurses for tomorrow’s nursing care needs

Abstract

The world has witnessed the most comprehensive refugee diaspora of modern history. Sweden has been one of the countries that has welcomed people and given them refuge. Refugees are in need of quality nursing care that is provided by professional and knowledgeable registered nurses. However, taking into account this global mobility and the resulting shift in demographic characteristics, nurses need to be particularly competent in relation to addressing global issues. The question is, are future nurses educated with enough relevant knowledge and skills to be able to meet tomorrow’s nursing care needs? The Swedish Red Cross University College (SRCUC) has contributed to the global discourse in several aspects, not least those elements related to the International Red Cross tradition and its basic humanitarian principles. We would like to share the stipulated definition that guides our subject profile area: global nursing. To answer the question that first concerned the SRCUC, we previously had conducted a traditional undergraduate nursing education that needed to be updated in relation to what is now happening globally. By developing and promoting the relevant knowledge and skills in global nursing, we believe that future nurses will be prepared to accommodate tomorrow’s nursing care needs.