How Nursing Students Develop Cultural and Professional Awareness through the Tropical NurseTalk Podcast A Qualitative Study

Abstract

As global health challenges continue to evlovev, nursing students must develop cultural competence and strong professional identity alongside scientific knowledge. However, accessible and culturally grounded learning resources remain limited within nursing education. The Tropical NurseTalk podcast was created to address this gap by introducing tropical nursing concepts that integrate global perspectives with local wisdom. This study explored nursing students’ learning experiences, reflections, and perceptions after listening to the introductory episode, “Welcome to The Tropics: What is Tropical Nursing?”. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed. Undergraduate nursing students who enrolled in the Community Health Nursing and Tropical Disease Nursing course and listened to the episode participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview guide explored five core areas: learning experience, reflective learning, professional identity, behavioral change, and cultural awareness. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model, including data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. Three themes emerged. The first theme, Immersive Audiovisual Learning Experience, highlighted how the video format enhanced engagement and comprehension through visual-audio storytelling, while also revealing learning barriers such as internet connections. The second theme, Reflective and Professional Identity Development described how visual narratives triggered personal reflection, strengthened students; professional identity and fostered intentions for behavioral improvement in communication and emphaty. The third theme, Cultural Sensitivity and Global-Local Understanding, demonstrated how audiovisual cues enhanced cultural awareness, encouragd cultural humility, and helped students connect global health issues with local practices in tropical communities. Overall, Tropical NurseTalk video podcast effectively supported holistic learning by integrating knowledge, reflection, professional values, and cultural competence. These findings suggest that audiovisual podcasts can serve as a meaningful digital learning tool to empower future nurses in navigating culturally diverse and globally interconnected health environments. Overall, the Tropical NurseTalk podcast serves as an accessible and meaningful tool that fosters reflective, culturally informed, and professionally oriented learning among nursing students.