Interdisciplinary practitioners
As interdisciplinary practitioners, we are privileged to share scholarly resources with one another. For this activity, you will be sharing resources with your colleagues in nursing and other health professions as well to help guide your reflection about the course concepts and your self-assessment of your growth.
In this module’s resources, you read about the importance and process of reflection in learning. Many models of reflection guide this practice. In this activity, you will draft a short essay inspired by various reflective models to evaluate on your learning from this course. The graphic below illustrates the reflective cycle that you will engage in for this assignment.
By investigating the scholarly literature and your primary textbook, you will answer the questions in your essay: How have your views changed in recent weeks? In what ways will your new understanding of global health shape your professional commitment to disease prevention? Where could you implement the knowledge gained to provide a larger impact?
Prompt
In this short essay, reflect upon your experience in this course. You are encouraged to personalize your responses while remaining anchored to the literature.
Note that you should cite at least three scholarly sources from your investigation. For this assignment, you can refer to the textbook as one of your three sources. The evidence should not be older than five years. To access the Shapiro Library Guide: Nursing—Graduate, go to the Start Here section of the course.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
1. Initial Belief: Explain your initial belief about your role in global health. What did you think about your role before taking this course?
2. Course Insights: Evaluate the scholarly evidence and insights that you came across during the course that changed your perspective in some way. In other words, what specific readings or course concepts did you encounter that have informed your perspective? How and why did each change your perspective?
3. Evolved Belief: Analyze how your understanding of your role in global health has changed. In other words, how have your specific beliefs, expectations, or perceptions changed about your role compared to your pre-course understanding?
4. Personal and Professional Goals: Explain how your evolution in thinking has or has not impacted your personal and professional goals in the future. If your goals have changed, why? If not, why not?
5. Emergency Preparedness: Apply your evolved understanding of your role related to the need for emergency preparedness. In other words, consider your actions for the future. Based on the WHO’s report in the module resources, how can you apply your unique skills and role in healthcare to prepare and respond to future health emergencies?
Sample Solution
Before taking this course, I held a very limited view of my role in global health. I believed that as an interdisciplinary practitioner providing healthcare to those in need was my primary goal and purpose. While this is still a vitally important function, I now understand it to be only one aspect of global health and my responsibility within this field.
I now recognize the importance of considering social determinants such as poverty, education levels, cultural norms and values when addressing health issues on an international scale (WHO 2021). Additionally, I am cognizant of how inequities around the world can lead to disparities among different populations which must be taken into account when creating policies or implementing new initiatives (Loo et al., 2017). Furthermore, I am aware that simply providing care for patients is not enough– there needs to be systemic change alongside advocacy so that everyone has access to resources and quality healthcare regardless of where they are located.
Overall, by taking this course my view on global health has evolved significantly. In addition to understanding my direct responsibilities as a medical professional — while also being mindful of larger structural factors — I have gained valuable skills which will allow me to better serve vulnerable communities around the world.
