The ninth ACU Perspectives event last week saw Dr Helen Rawson – a Registered Nurse, Research Fellow, and lecturer at Deakin University in Australia – give an engaging talk on the theme: 'Is higher education enabling students to fulfil their civic responsibilities as future professionals in a global society? A perspective from nurse education in Australia'.

Dr Rawson discussed how, in today's globalised world, graduates need to enter the workforce with a sound knowledge of cultural values, beliefs, practices, and attitudes if they are to respond effectively to the needs of society.

Her presentation explored the role of higher education in instilling cultural sensitivity in future healthcare professionals, but her approach could be translated into all disciplines where a rapport has to be established with the local community (including business, engineering, etc).

The crux of her message was that 'transcultural nursing must be the framework of nurse education curricula in higher education (and beyond) to ensure ensure that culturally competent care is the cornerstone of care delivery'.

You can listen to Dr Rawson's full talk on our Soundcloud account, follow the presentation by downloading her Powerpoint slides, and view pictures of the evening on our Flickr account.

• Find out more about the ACU Perspectives speaker series
• Find out more about Dr Rawson's talk