I am a rising high school senior and I am applying to colleges now. I am very interested in either becoming a nurse practitioner/educator or a diplomat because I really enjoy helping others through providing care and I love learning about new cultures and having a worldly awareness. As a nurse practitioner, I would like to work with Doctors Without Borders, the Peace Corps, or open my own practice. but with these two vastly different interests, I’m not sure how I will be able to decide on a major. do these two areas relate to each other in any way? would it make sense to double major in both nursing and international relations? or would it make more sense for me to apply as undecided? I’m not sure which career path is the right one for me and I want to explore both areas but I don’t want to waste time and money in college. if anyone has experience in either or both fields, could you please help? thank you so much.
Public health major may also be a fit. But get a nursing degree, licensed, you can work anywhere. Being general international relations major- harder to be employed without skills- language, business, IT, etc. Likely would need grad school.
Check out paper on this topic by WHO.
https://www.who.int/trade/diplomacy/en/
See CDC list of careers in global health
https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/employment/pdf/global-health-recruitment-brochurelinks.pdf
Epidemiologist, health scientist, etc.
“Global career opportunities require the ability to work independently, experience in global health programs, especially in developing countries, and the ability to adapt to new situations and changing environments. Successful candidates for these positions typically have the following background:
Post-graduate degree (masters or doctorate) or college plus relevant specialized experience
At least 2 years of work experience in an international setting (varies with position) Desired, but not required, uency in at least one foreign language (particularly French,
Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, or Chinese) Outstanding written and oral communication skills Excellent interpersonal skills
U.S. Citizenship”
Thank you so much for your help. I will be sure to consider all of my options. I think I am gearing more towards nursing and public health as of now! Would becoming a nurse prevent me from pursuing other career tracks in global health?
No, not at all. See the Doctors Without Borders website careers - shows criteria for being hired- they want experience. You’ll probably need foreign language skills or volunteer experience. Some non -profits or churches sponsor mission trips to underserved areas and lay people are needed.
I’ve worked with RN’s who’ve taken jobs all over the world from Russia, Australia, Denmark, Costa Rica, UAE, Saudi, etc. Plus some have done short term volunteer work for a few weeks a year to being part of a disaster relief organization that gets called up like the national guard would but specifically for medical. Out of all the healthcare fields BSN really is the most desirable for international travel. There’s just such a huge need and the profession translates well everywhere. Facilities in Ghana or Thailand or wherever all utilize nurses.