The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment

The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment Leslie Baker NSG 100, Professional Roles

The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment

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Abstract The shortage of Nurses in the United States is expected to continue to grow, despite a spike in those choosing to pursue a career in nursing. Because of this shortage, many healthcare facilities have pushed their efforts to recruit foreign trained nurses to fill vacant positions, both long term and short term. This paper will explore some of the pros and cons of recruiting foreign nurses.

The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment

Introduction The nursing shortage in the United States is considered a major concern for the healthcare industry as a whole. Nurses constitute the largest healthcare occupations in the United States, making up around 2.6 million jobs. People are living longer, which increases the need for long-term healthcare. The population of people over 65 is expected to grow by 54% by 2020. In addition to the aging population, some speculate that the shortage is also due the rising costs of medical care in the United States and many facilities using managed care as a solution. This resulted in slower income and employment growth for nurses in the 1990s. This also lead to efforts to reduce hospital stays, which lead to nurses who work in hospitals needing to treat sicker patients, making their work much more difficult. Hospitals reduced staff and many instituted mandatory overtime, which caused nurses to have to work long hours. Not only did this cause some nurses to leave the field, but it also affected the quality of patient care. The affects of long hours and over-worked healthcare providers on patient care have become a recognized issue in the 21st century. Healthcare organizations are hiring nurses more than ever, and the demand is not expected to cease. Unfortunately, the lack of space in nursing education programs does not allow for the supply of qualified nurses to keep up with the needs of the industry. Many healthcare institutions are resorting to hiring foreign trained nurses to help bridge that gap. Hiring Foreign Nurses: Pros There are many good reasons to hire foreign trained nurses. In most states, foreign trained nurses must meet the minimum requirements established by the

The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. These requirements are set in place to help insure that foreign nurses have education and skills comparable to nurses trained in the US. Nurses who meet CGFNS standards will be well prepared to pass the

NCLEX. Due to the shortage of nurses in the US, areas like the Philippines have opened many nursing schools gears towards preparing students for employment in the US and other countries experiencing shortages. Many foreign nurses come from countries that have much lower wage opportunities than here in the US. Because of this, foreign nurses are often willing to work for lower wages than their US counterparts, thus saving the employer money. Foreign nurses bring diversity to the workplace, providing a better understanding of different cultures. Hiring Foreign Nurses: Cons However, as with hiring foreigners for any job in the US, there are many reasons not to consider. Getting authorization to work in the US as a foreigner can be frustrating and time consuming. Employers usually absorb the cost of this in many ways. In addition, many US citizens are against hiring foreigners. One could argue that the funds spent on salaries and other expenses could be used to help fund education for nurses in the US, thereby providing more qualified nurses. While many foreign nurses may be willing to accept lower wages, there have been several lawsuits filed on behalf of foreign nurses to recoup those wages, as they were deemed unfair. Also, hiring foreign nurses may reduce the number of qualified nurses available in their own countries. I believe that hiring foreign nurses can be more beneficial than not. The reason is because we should be most concerned about patient care. The links to over-worked healthcare workers and medical mistakes is clear. In addition, our country is made of

The Nursing Shortage and Foreign Nurse Recruitment immigrants and we have historically welcomed those who want to come here and be productive members of society. While I understand someone may view hiring foreigner

nurses could take a job away form an American, the current shortage in nursing makes it possible for nurses to explore job opportunities all over the US in many specialties.

References: 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Registered Nurses, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm 2. Wanted-Nurses: Ethical Issues and Nursing Shortage, Judith Erlen Orthopedic Nursing: July/August 2004 Volume 23 Issue 4 3. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Healthcare at the Crossroads: Strategies for Addressing the Evolving Nursing Crisis