Nurses are strong social justice advocates who often serve the most marginalized
communities. Nursing has responded to social changes and globalization by developing into a
multifaceted profession that integrates cultural competency, education, empathy, advocacy, and
interdisciplinary collaboration. However, throughout its growth as a profession, the guiding
principles of nursing have remained consistent, foremost among them being nonmaleficence – or
do no harm. Nursing schools across the United States are responding to the need to develop
cultural competency and are offering innovative ways for students to build their skills and
experiences through international nursing experiences. This is a positive trend, as research
demonstrates that international experiences benefit nursing students’ personal and professional
development. However, ethical challenges exist, primarily regarding the positive or negative
impact a student experience has on the host community. Poorly planned and executed
international experiences for nursing students have been shown to destabilize local health
systems, undermine local providers, and displace local economies. Therefore nurse educators
should balance the academic needs of their students against the health and development needs of
host communities. Nurse education does not include substantial experience in program design for
international efforts. However, the fields of international development and public health share
the principle of nonmaleficence and have established best practices for program design to
mitigate and prevent unintended adverse consequences on host communities. By incorporating
best practices from international development and public health, nurse educators can better
develop ethically sound international experiences for their students, develop nurses with greater
cultural competency, and best support the development of host communities.Bachelor of Scienc