Exploring cultural diversity.

Abstract

"Exploring Cultural Diversity" and "Out of the Comfort Zone" are companion articles written from a professor's and student's perspective about experiences in transcultural nursing. The nursing professor describes the planning and implementation phases of the program, and the student describes the life-changing experiences and impressions which occurred. The theory portion of the program takes place at the university in the semester prior to the clinical segment, and the experiential component of the course includes traveling to, living, and practicing within a developing country. A journey to the Dominican Republic in 1994 is recounted. Together the articles emphasize the need for increasing global understanding of the relationship of culture to health in order to promote high level wellness for all the citizens of this planet.