Description/Overview: The Global Nurse Program (GNP) is a comprehensive and multi-prong strategy launched at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center to mitigate some of the challenges of globalization, and to maximize nursing contribution in the advancement of excellence in healthcare. Activities of the program are designed to improve health equity, promote culturally competent care and engage communities at local, national and international levels for nursing excellence. Nursing commitment to ensuring healthcare excellence is not new, nor limited by geographical boundaries. However, the challenge has been the lack of frameworks that facilitate collaboration for nursing excellence, create value-added partnerships, and foster coordinated multi-country engagements on issues affecting patients and nurses. Additionally, effective programs that simultaneously address the local, national and international needs of patients and providers are scant. Recognizing that nursing has a unique leadership role for improving global health, the GNP was established. This symposium will describe the structure and process for launching and sustaining an all-inclusive program to promote nursing excellence at a global level. It will highlight the role of leadership in the program’s success. Activities and outcomes of the GNP will be shared with participants to demonstrate the GNP as an innovative and valuable framework for nursing to improve equity, provide culturally appropriate care and deliver nursing excellence for all citizens of the world.

Learner Objective #1: Describe the Global Nurse Program as an innovative framework for promoting excellence in global nursing practice

Learner Objective #2: Discuss how the Global Nurse Program has promoted nursing excellence through leadership, cultural competency, and engagement of local, national and international communities.