Ready for the World: Preparing Nursing Students for Tomorrow

In 2004, a 5-year plan of international and intercultural education was developed by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) to help students become ready for the changing world in which they will live. This program is called “Ready for the World.” The University of Tennessee College of Nursing in Knoxville has integrated many of the suggestions from this program into the undergraduate nursing curriculum to prepare students for the world by making the world their classroom. Intercultural learning includes both a solid base of knowledge obtained in the classroom and multiple experiences that involve cultural interaction. Experiences begin on UTK's diverse campus and expand to the surrounding city of Knoxville, including interactions with vulnerable populations such as the homeless or elderly persons, then to nearby Appalachian communities, and on to Central America. Many of these experiences are offered for credit in the Community Health Nursing or the Transcultural Nursing courses. The knowledge nursing students acquire and their varied experiences will help them gain cultural competence for their future nursing practice.