Universities are increasingly undertaking student study abroad programs led by nursing faculty. The authors launched an inaugural study abroad nursing course. They proposed that the significance of the faculty trip role extends beyond the operational tasks required for international programs. Comfort theory was chosen as a good fit, since it offered a context for the significance of nursing faculty leading study abroad trips. It was consistent with the authors’ experiences. Nurse faculty members applying technical and coaching interventions to relieve needs can strengthen students facing the demands of international experiences. It was concluded that comfort theory provided meaningful context for the international trip leader role.

The PICO (Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework is widely accepted for posing evidence-based practice questions. This framework offers prelicensure nursing students a structured process for synthesizing nursing knowledge with the best available evidence to make decisions for practice. However, students in an international outreach course may find that evidence-based practice is not available in-country; furthermore, it may not be congruent with a population’s culture. Faculty guidance helps students enrolled in international outreach courses to integrate cultural competence into the PICO structure. A case study illustrates how the framework was applied during an undergraduate nursing outreach course to Nicaragua.