Relating Primary Health Care practice through doing: A cultural immersion experience in Laos. With increasing internationalisation in nursing programs, an understanding of global health and cultural competence are considered essential components of curricula, desirable graduate attributes and continuing competency standards. The purpose of this presentation is to outline Griffith University's innovative approach to addressing this mandate by offering final year undergraduate nursing students the opportunity to undertake a clinical placement in rural Laos. One of the key student learning objectives is to gain an understanding of primary health care principles by participating in a range of health promotion activities and illness prevention strategies within a community development project focused on sustainability for remote villages. Laos is one of the ten poorest nations in the world, in part related to significant geographical isolation and their continuing recovery from the ravages of war. The majority of the population live below the poverty line and have limited access to health care, housing and sanitation. The nursing group sets up mobile health clinics in local schools and works alongside local health workers and translators to provide basic health checks, minor treatments, nutritional advice, maternal and child health assessments and participate in health promotion activities. Students acknowledge the need to utilise higher levels of clinical assessment and critical thinking skills than in Australia and rely on nursing diagnoses and discussion with local health workers to develop treatment plans based on limited supplies of donated medications and clinical equipment. The group also supports the project by responding to community identified needs and increasing local capacity by offering midwifery workshops to health workers and lay midwives. Focus group data and anecdotal evidence suggests that the learning experience is profound and occurs on many levels, as students and nursing academics engage with local communities and experience the most basic of primary health care provision within this very challenging setting. Poster presentation by Hazel Rands at RCNA CPHC Conference Hobart, Oct 2011