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Assignment questions
Public healthResearch paperGlobal health

Global Health Volunteering Proposal Research Guide

The epidemic is the evidence, not the subject. Everything you find has to earn its place by supporting a proposal for release time to serve abroad.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 16, 2026

01

Background research to support a proposal, not a disease report

Read the framing before the topic list, because the framing is what is being graded. You are assembling background research to support a proposal: your organisation has no formal process for releasing health professionals to serve with a worldwide organisation during global events, and you want one. The epidemic you research is evidence for that request. That changes what counts as relevant. Where the outbreak started and how the virus behaves is background; what matters is the staffing dimension — how many health workers were deployed, from where, through which organisations, on what terms, and what happened to the gap they left at home. If your paper reads like a disease report with a proposal stapled to the end, you have written the assignment backwards, and the marker will see it in the first paragraph. State the ask in the first paragraph and the reader will read everything after it as evidence.

Build the paper as an argument with three moves. First, establish that global events generate a demand for surge health staffing that cannot be met locally, using one epidemic as the worked case — the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the West African Ebola epidemic, MERS, or a more recent event. Second, show that structured release works better than ad hoc absence: organisations with credentialling, insurance, liability cover and a defined return arrangement deploy faster and lose fewer staff permanently than those where volunteers resign to go. Third, anticipate what your leadership will actually object to, which is coverage and cost, and answer it with a mechanism — a cap on concurrent releases, a notice period, unpaid or partially paid leave, a reciprocal arrangement with a partner organisation. Name the worldwide organisation you would partner with and cite its actual requirements, since a proposal naming a real partner with real terms is far harder to refuse than one describing an aspiration.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Select evidence by what a proposal needs rather than by topic interest.
  • 02
    Analyse the health workforce dimension of an epidemic response.
  • 03
    Compare structured release arrangements with ad hoc volunteering.
  • 04
    Anticipate and answer the organisational objections to a release policy.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

SUPPOSE THAT WITHIN YOUR HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION THERE IS NO FORMAL PROCESS OR STRUCTURE FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TO VOLUNTEER TIME AND SERVICES IN TIMES OF GLOBAL NEED. YOU WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP A PROPOSAL FOR ESTABLISHING A PROCESS THAT WOULD ALLOW NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TO SECURE TIME OFF TO WORK WITH A SPECIFIC WORLDWIDE ORGANIZATION, TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE SERVICES DURING GLOBAL EVENTS. AS PART OF THE PROPOSAL, YOU WOULD NEED TO PROVIDE BACKGROUND RESEARCH TO SUPPORT YOUR REQUEST. CONDUCT BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON EITHER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL YOU WOULD DEVELOP: CHOOSE ONE WORLDWIDE EPIDEMIC, SUCH AS THE 2009 FLU PANDEMIC, 2009 MUMPS OUTBREAK, 2012 MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, THE RECENT EBOLA VIRUS EPIDEMIC, OR ANOTHER EPIDEMIC. RESEARCH ARTICLES THAT FOCUS ON HOW THE INITIAL OUTBREAK WAS HANDLED; THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ATTITUDES AND ISSUES OF RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN RESPONDING TO THE OUTBREAK; BARRIERS TO PEOPLE RECEIVING PROPER HEALTH CARE; AND THE ROLE OF NURSING IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES RELATED TO THE EPIDEMIC. CHOOSE ONE NATURAL DISASTER, SUCH AS THE EARTHQUAKES IN HAITI, PAKISTAN, OR NEPAL; CYCLONE NARGIS IN MYANMAR; THE INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI, OR ANY OTHER NATURAL DISASTER THAT BROUGHT A WORLDWIDE RESPONSE. RESEARCH ARTICLES THAT FOCUS ON THE INITIAL RESPONSE TO THE DISASTER; THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ATTITUDES AND ISSUES OF RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN RESPONDING TO THE DISASTER; BARRIERS TO SURVIVORS RECEIVING HEALTH CARE; AND THE ROLE OF NURSING IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES RELATED TO THE DISASTER. REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS ASSESSMENT, DEVELOP BACKGROUND RESEARCH THAT WOULD SUPPORT A PROPOSAL FOR AN ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESS ALLOWING HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TO VOLUNTEER TIME AND SERVICES WHEN GLOBAL EVENTS HAPPEN. FIRST, IDENTIFY THE GLOBAL EVENT YOU WILL BE USING IN YOUR RESEARCH, AND THEN: EXPLAIN HOW THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL (MEANING THE NATION IN WHICH THE EVENT TOOK PLACE) COMMUNITIES RESPONDED TO THE EVENT. WHO RESPONDED? HOW LONG DID THE FIRST RESPONSE TAKE? HOW DID HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS RESPOND? EXPLAIN HOW SOCIAL ATTITUDES, AS WELL AS ISSUES OF RACE, CLASS, GENDER, OR OTHER FACTORS MAY HAVE INFLUENCED THE RESPONSE TO THE EVENT. BE SURE YOU CONSIDER NOT ONLY THE RESPONSE OF THE HOME COUNTRY, BUT THE GLOBAL RESPONSE AS WELL. DESCRIBE BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE EVENT. SOME BARRIERS MAY BE OBVIOUS, AND OTHER BARRIERS LESS OBVIOUS; TRY TO CONSIDER MULTIPLE ASPECTS. EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS AND ALTRUISTIC ORGANIZATIONS IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL EVENT. EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL NURSE IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL EVENT. CONSIDER SCOPE OF PRACTICE WHEN WORKING PROFESSIONALLY OUT OF ONE’S AREA OF LICENSE—EITHER NATIONALLY OR GLOBALLY. Discussion: VOLUNTEER TIME AND SERVICES ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS COMPLETE YOUR ASSESSMENT USING THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATIONS: TITLE PAGE AND REFERENCE PAGE. NUMBER OF PAGES: 5–6 (NOT INCLUDING THE TITLE AND REFERENCE PAGES). AT LEAST 4 CURRENT SCHOLARLY OR PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES. APA FORMAT FOR THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT, INCLUDING CITATIONS AND REFERENCES. TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT, 12-POINT, DOUBLE-SPACED. SUGGESTED RESOURCES Library Resources The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course: Rowthorn, V. (2013). A place for all at the global health table: A case study about creating an interprofessional global health project. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(4), 907–914. Mitani, S., Kako, M., & Mayner, L. (2014). Medical relief for the 2011 Japan earthquake: A nursing account. Nursing & Health Sciences, 16(1), 26–30. Li, X. H., & Zheng, J. C. (2014). Efficient post-disaster patient transportation and transfer: Experiences and lessons learned in emergency medical rescue in Aceh after the 2004 Asian tsunami. Military Medicine, 179(8), 913–919. Agusto, F. B., Teboh-Ewungkem, M. I., & Gumel, A. B. (2015). Mathematical assessment of the effect of traditional beliefs and customs on the transmission dynamics of the 2014 Ebola outbreaks. BMC Medicine, 13(1), 1–17. Charania, N. A., & Tsuji, L. (2012). A community-based participatory approach and engagement process creates culturally appropriate and community informed pandemic plans after the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic: Remote and isolated First Nations communities of Sub-Arctic Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 268–276. SHOW LESS Course Library Guide A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the BSN-FP4014 – Global Perspectives of Community and Public Service Library Guide to help direct your research. Internet Resources Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have either been granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Health action in crises publications. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hac/publications/en/ Brewer, K. (2010, June). Who will be there? Ethics, the law, and a nurse’s duty to respond in a disaster (ANA Issue Brief). Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af058/globalassets/… DeMoro, R. A. (2014, September 8). The underreported side of the Ebola crisis [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog/entry/the… American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Disaster preparedness and response. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/disasterpreparedness Bookstore Resources The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation. Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2013). Community/public health nursing practice: Health for families and populations (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: W. B. Saunders. Chapter 10. Discussion: VOLUNTEER TIME AND SERVICES
02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    A named epidemic or global health event as the worked case.
  2. 02
    Evidence about health workforce deployment during that event.
  3. 03
    A named worldwide organisation with its actual volunteer requirements.
  4. 04
    A proposed release process with defined terms.
  5. 05
    An answer to the coverage and cost objection.
03

The epidemic, the response, then what your proposal needs from it

01

The proposal, stated first

Say what you are asking the organisation to establish.

02

The epidemic as the worked case

Describe the event only as far as the proposal needs.

03

The workforce dimension

Show how staffing demand exceeded local supply and who filled it.

04

Structured release versus ad hoc absence

Compare the two arrangements on speed, safety and retention.

05

The partner organisation

Name the organisation and its actual requirements for volunteers.

06

Answering the objection

Address coverage and cost with a concrete mechanism.

04

Agency sources for outbreak response and volunteer deployment

Recommended databases

  • World Health Organization
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • PubMed Central
  • The partner organisation's own site

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Choose the epidemic and the partner organisation before searching.
  2. 2.
    Search for health workforce deployment during that event, not for the event itself.
  3. 3.
    Read the partner organisation's volunteer requirements directly.
  4. 4.
    Look for evidence on health worker safety and liability during deployment.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Outbreak toolkit

    World Health Organization · 2024

    The operational toolkit for outbreak response, including the staffing functions a deployment fills.

  2. 02

    Current Outbreak List

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2025

    Current outbreak activity, for choosing a case that is still relevant.

  3. 03

    National Preparedness

    Federal Emergency Management Agency · 2024

    The domestic preparedness framework, useful for the release-policy mechanics.

  4. 04

    Plan Ahead for Disasters | Ready.gov

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security · 2025

    Preparedness planning language your proposal can borrow.

  5. 05

    Legal Authority for Infectious Disease Reporting in the United States: Case Study of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic

    American Journal of Public Health, 105(1) · 2015

    Legal authority during a pandemic, which is where liability and release terms intersect.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Writing a report on the epidemic and treating the proposal as an afterthought.
  • Omitting the workforce dimension, which is the only part the proposal needs.
  • Naming no partner organisation, so the proposal has nothing concrete to approve.
  • Ignoring the staffing gap the release would create at home.

Submission checklist

  • Does every section of research support the proposal?
  • Is there workforce or deployment evidence, not just epidemiology?
  • Have you named a real partner organisation and its terms?
  • Is the coverage objection answered with a mechanism?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

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