Developing Servant Leaders Through Global and Local Opportunities
At the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, leadership is more than a title, it is a way of showing up for others. Through hands-on learning, students develop the qualities at the heart of servant leadership: empathy, listening, healing and stewardship. These qualities are shaped not only in classrooms and simulation labs, but in communities where students learn what it means to serve with humility, purpose and compassion.
From Japan to East Tennessee, four senior BSN students spent their summer expanding their perspectives and strengthening their ability to lead by serving. Global experiences challenged students to understand health care through broader cultural lenses, adapt to unfamiliar environments and communicate across differences. Local opportunities grounded students in the needs of their own communities, reinforcing the importance of service, teamwork and meaningful relationships.
Seeing Care Through a Global Lens
This summer, Joud Nofal traveled to Japan to explore how culture influences the way care is delivered. One of the most impactful parts of the experience was seeing how values such as community, respect and service shape everyday interactions in health care settings.
“I learned that providing effective care extends beyond clinical skills,” Nofal shared. “It requires cultural awareness, communication, and an understanding of each patient’s background and needs.”
Her time in Japan deepened her understanding of patient-first leadership. Nofal saw how intentional listening and respect for cultural practices can influence comfort, trust and outcomes. For her, servant leadership means recognizing that every patient brings a unique background and set of values to the health care experience.
When nurses take the time to understand and honor those differences, they communicate something essential: you are seen, you are respected, and your care will reflect who you are.
Learning That Quality Care Has No Single Formula
More than 18,000 miles away in Kenya, Tara Shivji gained firsthand insight into health care at Nyeri County Referral Hospital. During her experience, she observed surgeries, assisted with deliveries and wound care, witnessed care provided beyond hospital walls and saw nurses deliver quality care despite significant differences in resources and staffing.
“In Kenya, I saw nurses provide meaningful and effective care while working with resources and staffing that were very different from what I’m used to in Knoxville,” Shivji shared.
The experience strengthened her adaptability while reinforcing the importance of compassion, teamwork and resourcefulness.
“I learned that there is not just one way to provide good health care,” she said.
For Shivji, the experience demonstrated that servant leadership is not defined by having every resource available. Instead, it is reflected in how nurses respond to the needs in front of them—working together, adapting to circumstances and remaining committed to providing meaningful care.
Leading in the Fast Pace of Emergency Care
Closer to home but still far from Knoxville, Jonah Hodes completed an internship in the Emergency Department at Mount Sinai West in New York City. Serving patients from the Upper West Side and Midtown West, the department exposed Hodes to a diverse range of conditions, ages and acuity levels.
During each shift, Hodes was paired one-on-one with a nurse mentor, allowing him to closely observe emergency nursing while building his own clinical skills. Because emergency nurses rotate through areas including the main treatment space, resuscitation room, triage and evaluation area, Hodes gained a broad perspective on how care changes according to patient needs.
“I learned a lot about emergency medicine and had the opportunity to see a wide variety of cases involving patients of all ages,” Hodes shared. “I also had the opportunity to practice and build my nursing skills while caring for numerous patients during a single shift, which helped me become more comfortable adapting to new situations throughout the day.”
Hodes also saw the importance of collaboration between nurses and physicians as they worked together to make informed, patient-focused decisions in a fast-moving environment. One of the most important lessons he is bringing back to Knoxville is the ability to prioritize, stay organized and communicate clearly when conditions can change in an instant.
Those lessons reflect another essential element of servant leadership: stewardship. By learning to manage competing priorities while keeping patients at the center of care, Hodes is developing skills he can carry into his own practice and eventually share with those around him.
Growing Through Service at Home
Back in East Tennessee, Peyton Henslee spent five weeks completing an externship at UT Medical Center, shadowing nurses across multiple units, including 5West Oncology and 7South Medical Observation Short Stay.
Moving from floor to floor gave Henslee a broader understanding of how patient needs change according to unit, pace and acuity. It also showed her how servant leadership is practiced every day through presence, teamwork and steady, compassionate care.
Throughout the externship, Henslee strengthened two skills that servant leaders rely on: time management and prioritization. Learning how to organize a shift, adjust when circumstances change and focus attention where it is needed most taught her that leadership is not simply about clinical skills, it is about stewardship.
Just as importantly, she saw that nursing is never a solo role.
“No matter how far you are into your nursing career, you can always lean on your fellow staff members for a helping hand,” Henslee said.
That culture of support became one of the most meaningful parts of her experience. Working alongside the same nurse throughout the five-week externship allowed Henslee to build familiarity and trust with her team.
“I’ve gotten to see so many new things and most of all interact with staff members in a family-oriented way because UTMC is all about facilitating an amazing workplace environment,” she shared.
Over time, she and her colleagues learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses and worked together to make each shift run smoothly. It was a firsthand lesson in shared responsibility and a reminder that effective leadership often begins by helping others succeed.
By the end of the summer, the experience had changed how Henslee envisioned her future as a nurse.
“This experience has impacted my foundation of nursing immensely,” she reflected. “I learned, I grew, I cried, and most of all I was able to see the kind of nurse that I want to be.”
Leading by Serving
Although their experiences took them to different places and introduced them to different health care environments, these students all returned with a common lesson: leadership begins with service.
Whether across the world or across East Tennessee, these opportunities gave students the chance to listen before leading, adapt before reacting and understand the needs of others before determining how to respond.
For future nurses, servant leadership is not something learned in a single classroom. It is built through experiences that challenge perspectives, strengthen relationships and place the needs of others at the center.
Through global exploration and local engagement, College of Nursing students are becoming nurses prepared not only to provide excellent care, but to lead with empathy, humility and purpose, putting others first wherever their nursing careers take them.
Contacts:
Kara Clark Cardwell ([email protected], 865-974-9498)
Lauren Bryant ([email protected], 865-974-8250)