Overview
This faculty-led practicum will introduce students to the fundamental skills of Transcultural Nursing, highlighting the meanings and expressions of health, illness, caring, and healing of the Oaxaca community. The focus of this immersion is on the cultural traditions found there, with specific attention to the Zapotec traditions of honoring El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The rituals of the Day of the Dead are meant to lovingly remember relatives who have died.
Students are offered a wide variety of experiences to learn from the people of Oaxaca, which may include:
• Visit cemeteries in the community to view the El Dia de los Muertos celebrations
• Experience a “Limpia,” a healing ritual using local medicinal plants
• Tour of the city of Oaxaca
• Explore various markets to observe and participate in the complex informal economy of open markets
• An overnight in a Zapotec Indigenous community of weavers
Courses Offered
- NUR 412P-SA: Practicum: Community Health Nursing II
- NUR 500P: Practicum: Championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Nursing Practice
- NUR 520P: Practicum: Ethics and Equity in Research and Exploring Historical Context
- NUR 521P: Practicum: Just Leadership
- NUR 541P: Practicum: Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive Leadership
- NUR 733: Practicum: Social Determinants of Health and Diversity Equity and Inclusion to Advance
Health Equity - NUR 734: Practicum: Communication and Ethics in Nursing Praxis
Duration:
This immersion course is typically an 8-9 day experience offered at the end of October. Only a limited number of students can participate in this experience, so please express your interest in participating in this experience by emailing Colleen Hagerman at hagerman@augsburg.edu. The next immersion to Oaxaca, Mexico, is planned for October/November 2026.
This experience is only available for Augsburg University nursing students and alumni.
Faculty Lead
Drs. Jill Oswald and Amy Nelson
This program is coordinated in conjunction with the Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE) at Augsburg University.