“Just go for it”:-Student and Staff Evaluative Reflections of an innovative global learning opportunity-POLO

The value from volunteering studying/working abroad are widely agreed upon for both UK and overseas health care delivery development and the growth of individual students and qualified staff (All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health, 2013). For students to achieve such benefits the multi-dimensional challenges need to be overcome by both the students going abroad as well as the staff facilitating the experiences (Mendes and Ventura 2016). In this paper the evaluations of over 120 students, over a 4 year period, will be presented to include the significant professional and personal rewards students gained, alongside the challenges and how the students managed those challenges. Examples of such rewards include enhanced confidence, communication and cultural competence (Campinha-Bacote, 2002). Challenges encountered by students include, for example, overcoming professional differences and practical challenges. Finally the collaborative learning gained and outcomes will be offered, to enable development of future students’ global health competencies. References:- All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health, 2013. Improving Health at Home and Abroad: How overseas volunteering from the NHS benefits the UK and the world Campinha- Bacote, J. (2002). The Process of Cultural competence in the delivery of healthcare Services: a model of care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing 13, 181-84 Mendes, I. A.C. and Ventura, C.A.A., 2016. Editorial: Leading and advocating for global health competencies: a nursing challenge. Journal of Nursing Management 24, 843-844