How can future nurses learn to truly care for people with life experiences and identities different from their own? In a powerful new blog post, Dr Juan M. Leyva, Associate Professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, explores how narrative photography is reshaping transcultural nursing education by fostering empathy, cultural awareness, and critical reflection.
Titled “Narrative Photography in Transcultural Nursing Education: Fostering Empathy, Diversity, and Critical Reflection,” the blog highlights how photography-based assignments are helping nursing students move beyond stereotypes—especially in sensitive topics such as HIV, gender identity, sexual diversity, and cultural worldviews.
Through image-making and storytelling, students are challenged to reflect on their biases, engage with diverse perspectives, and humanise the people behind diagnoses. As Dr Leyva writes, this method “makes the invisible visible,” helping learners understand the lived experiences of others while critically examining their own assumptions.
Supported by research, including studies showing improved empathy and reduced prejudice among participants, narrative photography is emerging as a transformative pedagogy for transcultural care—one that aligns deeply with ETNA’s mission to advance culturally competent nursing across borders.
