Nursing in Australia and Malaysia: framing a shared history and future

TLDR: The common nursing history shared between Australia and Malaysia is traced and attention is paid to the collective trends effecting contemporary practice.

Abstract: The culture of nursing is reflective of the country where it is practised. In nations that have been colonised, the impact of the dominant culture shapes the nature of how the profession evolves. Australia and Malaysia share a common colonial history that has influenced how their individual health care systems have developed and from that, how their nursing professions have progressed. In the past, it has been easy to distinguish between the evolutionary trajectories of both countries, particularly in relation to the development of nursing. Today however, with the tyranny of distance almost negated, the differences are less palpable and challenges for the future are universal. This paper traces the common nursing history shared between Australia and Malaysia and pays attention to the collective trends effecting contemporary practice.