The Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) created a Global Health Concentration in 2007, an enriched educational stream for globally conscious graduate nursing students, featuring curricula designed to prepare nurses for the challenges of working with diverse populations in limited resource environments.
Overview
In response to these realities, the McGill University Ingram School of Nursing has developed a concentration within the master’s degree program for students to pursue their interests in global health and Indigenous health– Global Health Concentration (GHC). This option, which is in alignment with the objectives of the MSc(A) program, is available both to Direct Entry (MSc(A) in Nursing - Global Health Direct Entry concentration) and Nurse Bachelor Entry (MSc(A) in Nursing - Global Health concentration) students. GHC provides students with global health content throughout the program. Students complete one semester in their final year in a global health placement where they will complete both clinical and project based components. This concentration is supported by the Global and Indigenous Health Nursing (GAIHN) Committee at the McGill Ingram School of Nursing.
In order to ensure sustainable equitable interactions that are mutually beneficial for students and the communities in which they work GAIHN is committed to designated partnership sites. At McGill ISON we emphasize that Global Health is health through a social justice lens thus Global Health issues arise locally in our city and province as well as internationally.
Currently our local partnership sites are located in Montreal (organizations working with people living in poverty and precarious situations), provincially in Rapid Lake, Winneway and Kuujjuaq (Indigenous Health sites) and Internationally in Tanzania, Colombia, India, and Haiti. These sites are subject to change depending on the yearly needs of the site. Students will be matched to a particular site based on their preferences and their fit for a given location in addition to the strength of their application.
The Global Health Concentration sets out to prepare nurses for the challenges of working with diverse populations in limited resource environments with a philosophy stressing the importance of understanding the inherent power dynamics, equity issues and ethical dilemmas that arise through this work. It is based on a belief that we have much to learn from one another.