The Nursing Profession in a Globalizing World

Abstract

The nursing profession plays an important role in health promotion and care services and works with other healthcare disciplines to improve public health around the world (International Council of Nurses, 2018). 2020 is of great significance to nurses globally because it marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder and pioneer of modern nursing. To recognize nursing's contribution to and impact on the international community, the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife" (World Health Organization, n.d.), with goals set to further promote nursing as a profession with a global vision and strengths for growth and internationalization. In step with globalization trends, the nursing profession in Taiwan has established partnerships with multiple international organizations and overseas education institutions. Furthermore, supported by the framework of Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, Taiwan's professional nursing community has taken an increasingly important and leading role in nursing education and academic research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Technology has enabled the nursing profession to transition relatively quickly to the needs and realities of globalization. Nursing-led research teams have become increasingly actively involved in collaboration with international researchers who share the same research interests to identify and solve health problems around the globe and to generate nursing knowledge that is valid for use across multiple cultural settings. Globalization and technology have given professional nursing services greater international recognition and appreciation. They also provide the nursing profession with opportunities to adapt and streamline traditional care models in order to best utilize nursing care services and healthcare resources. With the assistance of modern technology, healthcare services are increasingly digital and mobile, allowing nursing assessments and medical arrangements to be conducted efficiently and with significantly less wait times. Technological advancements have significantly expanded the delivery of nursing care and improved the feasibility of cross-setting and cross-border health-service collaboration. Nursing has a significant and global impact, with local, national, and international nursing communities working together to achieve United Nation's sustainable development goals (Dossey, Rosa, & Beck, 2019). According to the World Health Organization, at least nine million nursing professionals will be needed globally by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2020). The internationalization of nursing education, research, and practice is set to create unlimited, global opportunities for the future development of nursing.