Re: Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act, HR 5924
by Carl Shusterman
Any topic involving immigration is sure to spark a debate these days – including the topic of foreign-trained nurses.
Do foreign-trained nurses depress the wages of U.S. nurses? Since the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that less than four percent of all nurses in the U.S. are foreign trained, it is hard to imagine their presence would have much effect on wages one way or another. Indeed, annual RN wages climbed 14% from 2000 to 2004, from an average of $46,782 to $57,755 according to HHS, and most indicators suggest that wages have continued to rise since then.
Do foreign-trained nurses displace U.S. nurses? Given a national hospital nurse vacancy rate of over 8%, as reported by the American Hospital Association, that doesn’t seem likely. And, given projections that the U.S. will be anywhere from 340,000 to one million nurses short by the year 2020, it seems improbable that foreign nurses will displace U.S. nurses any time in the near future.
What about the “brain-drain?” By recruiting foreign trained nurses, are we undercutting medical services in countries where the need for medical professionals is.... (for the rest of the article, go to
http://www.recruitingtrends.com/)
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