Contribution of the International Nurse

[PapaPhil]

What is your opinion from your experience. Does the foreign educated nurse generally contribute positively or negatively to the U.S. nursing profession?

[roma4204, BSN, RN]

If you're a good nurse, you're a good nurse. Some suck and some are awesome just like anyone else.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

It can help if the international nurse speaks a dominant language in your area. But, sometimes, being bilingual doesn't help at all.

Last night, four of us were in a patient's room. I was only one who isn't bilingual, and each other person spoke a different language. Two people spoke the two languages that are dominant in our area.

After we left, I started laughing. Not a single one of us spoke the patient's language.

Welcome to America!!

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I have only had one bad experience with a "foreign" nurse. This was in Houston, Texas, after a liver re-section. The patient was screaming in pain in the recovery area, and the "foreign" nurse did not even know the patient was on a dilaudid drip. She kept yammering on about his allergy to zofran, which had nothing to do with what was going on. She just kept standing there, in total confusion.

[PapaPhil]

i understand that each foreign-educated nurse costs a hospital about $20,000 to $22,000 delivered. could that money be better spent on americans and the american nurse education infrastructure?

they do sign 3-year non-cancelable contracts, so i guess that makes the $20 grand expense worth it to the hospital to stabilize its workforce.

[llyonya]

Foreign nurses often underpaid so they contribute a lot to someone's big pocket. I heard that RNs recruited abroad are paid less than LPNs.