Importing Foreign-trained Nurses
Comparison of Pending Legislation on Nursing Immigration Issues
11/05/01
"The American Nurses Association (ANA) has posted a chart which compares two bills currently pending in Congress, with an existing law that affects the status of "temporary nurse visas" issued to aliens."
Due to heavy lobbying by the hospital associations, federal legislation is now in the works to increase importation of foreign-trained nurses & make it easier to recruit more of them from other countries.
The ANA is strongly opposed to this as a solution to the shortage of bedside nurses & has testified that the shortage is largely caused by working conditions that US nurses find unacceptable. The solution is not to bring in foreign nurses who will accept these unacceptable conditions - but to improve these conditions so that US nurses will find working in these jobs worth while, will return to them and to nursing as a career.
It is the ANA's contention that filling the shortage gaps by importing foreign trained nurses side-steps and diverts attention from the immediate problem, which is the unacceptable working conditions these jobs offer all nurses - conditions which will persist if other nurses are brought into these positions from other countries and are obligated to accept these unacceptable working conditions just to remain in this country.
ANA has prepared a detailed chart comparing the current H1c visa limits and the new legislation that is pending and how they differ. ANA strongly opposes the new pending legislation and urges all nurses to contact their elected officials in doing the same.
To view comparison chart, go to ANA: Government (Federal) Affairs: Temporary Nurse Visa vrs. Rural/Urban Health Act