Learning Objective #1: Describe one ethical issue common among participants’ experience working in a culture other than their own

Learning Objective #2: Discuss how Western nursing practices exported to Asian cultures may raise issues of appropriate fit

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Nurses are becoming global professionals. Western educators are in high demand in many areas of the world, as faculty and as consultants. Although cultural competency has become an emphasis within nursing, little preparation in nursing exists for professional working immersed within another culture. It is experienced differently than working with multi-cultural groups within one's own culture. The study aim was to describe the lived experience of Western educators working in cultures other than their own. A descriptive phenomenological design and approach framed this qualitative investigation. Six participants, who have doctoral education and who held faculty positions at Asian universities for a minimum of two years, were interviewed. An iterative process was used to ensure mutual understanding between the researchers and the participants. Data collection was considered complete when mutual agreement was reached. Both similarities and differences in the lived experiences occurred among the participants. However, common pedagogical and ethical dilemmas emerged from the data, providing multiple perceptions of experiences related to similar predicaments. For example, participants described the discomfort and decision-making needed to choose what to teach when the needs of the students, school and state of nursing practice differed markedly from international standards of evidence-based practice. Participants stated: “Is it right to teach what never can be practiced?” “How can we best prepare nurses who practice in a setting we haven't practiced in for forty years?” Each dilemma will be described using the participants' own words. The findings present rich descriptions not previously found in the nursing literature. These descriptions may facilitate a professional dialog about these types of international educational exchanges and facilitate cross-cultural understandings.