The Role of Nurses in Humanitarian Medicine: Three Educational Strategies for Sustainable Short Term Medical Volunteer Trips

The nursing workforce has continued to expand in the international arena with an increasing interest in humanitarian endeavors over the past several decades. As the world becomes more globalized, travel has become easier and nurses are seeking ways to make a difference in the world. Despite advances in technology and globalization, there continues to be extreme health discrepancies among communities across the globe. The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a critical shortage of 18 million doctors, nurses and midwives by 2030 (Seed Global Health, 2018). Considering this healthcare worker shortage, medical aid to developing countries is a very important aspect of global health, yet if not carefully structured according to the local needs of the community, humanitarian aid can become useless or even harmful. Nurses who work in international medical settings should be well aware of the potential challenges and barriers they will face while working abroad and be prepared to design their programs so that they are population specific, effective, and sustainable. The three strategies discussed in this paper will address how education can be utilized as an effective way to provide short term medical missions in a sustainable way.