Mission Settings for Student Clinicals

Patients worldwide are becoming more linguistically and culturally diverse and need appropriate and culturally competent nursing care (International Council of Nurses, 2013). Thus, learning transcultural nursing in nursing school is essential (Antón-Solanas et al., 2021). Repo et al. (2017) noted that international exchange studies and exposure to new customs and unfamiliar languages impact cultural competence acquisition. Historically, global immersion experiences have provided significant positive outcomes for nursing students' cultural competency (Long, 2012). Additionally, cultural competency fulfills a biblical principle as it "draws attention to the truth of God's glory in his plan to create a culturally diverse family of faith" (Mwongela, 2017, p. 1). CLINICAL PLACEMENT SHORTAGES Student clinical placements are in short supply, resulting in nursing schools turning away qualified applicants (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2022; Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, 2021); the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this shortage (Lee et al., 2023). Simultaneously, the pandemic impacted healthcare worldwide, including the ability of nursing personnel to travel abroad for healthcare missions (Fuzaylov & Dabek, 2021). For many organizations that rely on volunteers and donated medical supplies, the sudden halting of missions and the slow resumption post-pandemic have been critically challenging. Jesus clarified that Christians who recognize a great need should share their skills to assist when he said I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:35-40, NIV) ONE SOLUTION: SERVICE-LEARNING MISSIONS Service-based mission trips—where partnerships are formed between low-income, healthcare-scarce communities and academic institutions—have demonstrated that nursing students benefit from hands-on acute care practice and gain valuable nursing skills while being exposed to cultural diversities (Markaki et al., 2021). Mission trips help develop cultural competency while providing health services. Further, service learning is critical in meeting the National Academy of Medicine's (2020) vision for the nursing profession to address health disparities and build positive partnerships between academic institutions and organizations in need. Nursing service-learning mission trips are a worthy option for clinical placements for students and can benefit vulnerable communities. These clinical placements also enable Christian students and faculty to embody Jesus' directive to "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15, ESV). Given our desire as Christian nurses to be the hands and feet of God, now is the perfect opportunity to explore nursing student service-learning missions.