Internationally Educated Nurses in Transition in the United States: Challenges and Mediators

Abstract

International migration has doubled worldwide since 1970, and nurses are increasingly becoming a part of this trend. In 2008, approximately 5.6% of RN positions were filled by nurses educated in other countries. One of the critical issues is the transition of these immigrated nurses to the U.S. health care system and acculturation in a new society. Continuing education is necessary to promote adjustment and provide for a successful transition while ensuring quality patient care. The life patterns model provides a framework to describe the challenges and potential mediators in the transition process. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(3):139-144.

Internationally educated nurses in Canada: perceived benefits of bridging programme participation

“…However, many internationally educated nurses (IENs) experience unexpected and significant challenges when attempting to practise their profession in the destination country (Rosenkoetter et al. ).…”

Transition-to-U.S. Practice Experiences of Internationally Educated Nurses: An Integrative Review

“…While the migration of IENs from Canada appears to have stabilized, Canada continues to represent a major source country (McGillis Hall, Gates, Peterson, Jones, & Pink, 2014). Further, countries such as India and South Korea are increasing in their numbers of IEN migration (Rosenkoetter, Nardi, & Bowcutt, 2017;Spetz et al, 2014). Compared to U.S.educated nurses, IENs are more likely to be employed fulltime, work in hospital settings, provide direct patient care, and are less likely to serve in management positions (Cortes & Pan, 2015;Hohn, Witte, Lowry, & Fernández-Peña, 2016;Schilgen, Nienhaus, Handtke, Schulz, & Mösko, 2017).…”

Human Rights and Bioethical Considerations of Global Nurse Migration

“…In the United States, over 80,000 qualified applicants to nursing programmes were turned away in 2019 due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, and classroom space (AACN 2020 ). A global shortage of nurses qualified to deliver healthcare currently affects several countries, including the United States and European countries but especially low-resource countries (LRCs) (Goh and Lopez 2016 ; Rosenkoetter, Nardi, and Bowcutt 2017 ).…”

“…Migration of healthcare professionals is commonly referred to as “medical brain drain” and contributes to global health crises (Kollar and Buyx 2013 ). Nurses choose to migrate to destination countries for various reasons, including lack of full-time employment and poor wages in the source country, providing financial support for families in the country of origin, perceived better quality of life for families, intellectual stimulation, improved working conditions, and increased educational opportunities (Efendi et al 2017 ; Garner, Conroy, and Bader 2015 ; Lofters 2012 ; Rosenkoetter et al 2017 ; Sands, Ingraham, and Salami 2020 ). The problem of the nursing shortage is emphasized in HRCs like the United States, with several strategies and initiatives to try to alleviate the shortage.…”