'I'll never be the same': the impact of an international elective.

many undergraduate student nurses have the opportunity to undertake an international elective-that is, a placement in another country. The benefits of undertaking an elective include developing cultural competence, understanding different healthcare systems and experiencing a different culture. the aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a faculty-structured international travel elective to Zambia for undergraduate UK nursing students. a descriptive phenomenology approach was used to discover and explore the students' experiences of their elective. 6 students participated in semi-structured interviews. Themes that emerged included the importance of preparing for the elective, different nursing cultures, realities and patient safety concerns. this study found that students involved in an international elective to Zambia overall had a positive experience but did report some challenges; the findings contribute to the body of evidence relating to international electives.