A very wise psychologist I worked with in Zimbabwe once told me a quote that really stuck: Internationalism is not about borders; it's about bridges.

More recently, I have come to the realisation that building a nursing profession that is inclusive, equitable, and globally connected really requires rethinking how we understand “international.”

Too often, international nursing is viewed through a narrow lens—seen as something external or ‘them’: migrant nurses, overseas-trained professionals, individuals expected to adjust or integrate.

This perspective is fundamentally flawed, essentially because when we talk about international, we’re not talking about ‘them’. We’re talking about ‘us’.  
We are all global nurses.

In a world where health systems are interconnected, challenges are shared, and pandemics know no borders, global health is no longer optional—it’s foundational. Every nurse, regardless of where they trained or practiced, brings knowledge that contributes to the collective strength of our profession. Yet, too often, we assume that the expertise lies solely within high-income, English-speaking countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, shattered that illusion.  

Nurses with experience in resource-constrained settings brought calm, competence and creativity to a UK system under immense pressure. They were used to adapting, to working across specialties, to leading through scarcity. General nurses trained abroad flexed across wards, stepped into unfamiliar specialties, and delivered care with agility and assurance.

Yet, in too many professional spaces—conferences, advisory groups, policy circles—the loudest voices remain the same. And they are rarely those from low-and middle-income countries. Expertise from the global south is still too often excluded, or tokenised, rather than recognised and resourced.
This needs to change.

Nursing knowledge does not flow in one direction. There is deep, practical and often overlooked expertise in the global nursing workforce—knowledge that could directly inform and improve our own practices in the UK. We must stop thinking of international work as charity, aid, or outreach. It is collaboration. It is mutual learning. And it is critical to the future of our profession.

Engaging in global health nursing is not just an act of solidarity. It’s an investment in innovation, resilience, and excellence. The UK’s nursing workforce challenges—retention, education, preparedness—will not be solved in isolation. They demand new thinking, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to listen beyond our borders.
If we want a nursing future that is inclusive, fair, and truly effective, we need to shift our perspective—both inward and outward.

We need to stop talking about “them” and start acting as “us.” Build bridges, because this isn’t someone else’s challenge. It’s all of ours'.

And the only way forward is together.