Survey: Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortag

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortage?

    • 149
      Yes
    • 514
      No

663 members have participated

This month's survey Question:

Should nurses from other countries be recruited to aid in the nursing shortage?

Please take a minute to take answer our survey and please feel free to reply to this topic to post any comments that you may have on the topic.

Specializes in Clinical Risk Management.

I also voted no. I have no issue with nurses coming to this country on their own volition. I have a problem though, with hospitals spending the cash to bring them here. If they focused on retention rather than recruitment, a difference might be seen.

Why NOT spend the cash to improve nurse-patient ratios & working conditions with local staff rather than recruit from overseas to fill the positions? If they're going to spend money after all, why not spend it to help the nurses & patients here.

Besides, the other countries need their nurses, too!

I agree with mfdteacher.

Specializes in Medical.

The other aspect is that the nursing shortage doesn't just affect the West - offering incentives to nurses from second- and third-world countries does a grave disservice to the countries that invested money in training them, leaving them short. Using overseas recruitment to patch up the nursing shortage is a short-term solution to a long-standing, long-term problem. It's typical of government policy in general - rather than addressing long-range plans that will cost money and not necessarily pay off while they're in office, politicians and CEOs look at the next election, annual bonus or shareholders meeting.

I don't have a problem with foreign nurses coming here to work. But I do feel that the funding used to recruit them should be invested in american citizens that would like the opportunity to go to nursing school but can't afford to.

I agree with you 100%.

I voted no as well. Not because I would not welcome the help or because I don't want to work with someone from another nationality -- I would LOVE some help and have SO MANY friends in other countries that would be great to work with -- but I would really feel rather embarassed to have them come and work at the hospital where I do. I would not want to expose them to our rude, egocentric docs, or stressed out and overworked and thus sometimes rude nurses, our badgered and budget crunched managers, our posh and pompous directors, our totally out of touch VPs and CEOs..... :imbar HMMMM!

I have lots of nurse pals who have left the hospital settings for the same reasons as many have previously posted -- don't blame them a bit.

I feel like no, but think yes is more realistic. We have all heard the stats about how many nurses don't work in nursing, but no one mentions when or if those nurses ever could or would return to nursing even if conditions were different.

we send so much of our work out of the country because the pay scale is lower there and companies want to cut costs BUT

this leaves people out of work who could use a step up by going to cna,lpn,rn schools but may not be able to afford it....these people would spend their money here and educate their children here and not send it to some third world country....educating these people would offer a permanent solution to the problem

also some are skilled in english language and some reach a minimum level and refuse to go beyond them....pts will look to you to "interpret" and after you have listened to them on a daily basis you can tell the pts what the mds and the FB nurses are saying but it takes your time and when you don't understand they become angry as if it is your fault

i know there is a better way of earning a living!!!!!!!!!!

Me first! The reason nursing wages are held down is because of imported nursing. I love lumpia, adobo, pancit, curry-curry with abodong, Lichon, and all the rest, but, I would also like to see my wages at least equal to the high school graduate that is working right next to me doing nothing but griping about everything. If the wages were there, I do not believe there would be a "Nursing Shortage" all nurses should get their collective act together hold tight and sock it to the agencies that must have us there by law......We are professionals, where's the money?

Whatever Dr Gonzo

Specializes in ICU, MED SURG, ER, LTC, LEGAL NURSING.
The other aspect is that the nursing shortage doesn't just affect the West - offering incentives to nurses from second- and third-world countries does a grave disservice to the countries that invested money in training them, leaving them short. Using overseas recruitment to patch up the nursing shortage is a short-term solution to a long-standing, long-term problem. It's typical of government policy in general - rather than addressing long-range plans that will cost money and not necessarily pay off while they're in office, politicians and CEOs look at the next election, annual bonus or shareholders meeting.

I VOTED NO, ALSO. I HAVE WORKED WITH SOME VERY GOOD NURSES FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND I WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR HELP.... BUT TALAXANDRA HAS A VERY GOOD POINT. THE DISSERVICE IS TWO FOLD. I KNOW SEVERAL VERY DEDICATED CNA'S AND LPNS WHO WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL. MOST HAVE CHILDREN AND THE DRIVE TO CLINICALS (70 MILES ONE WAY) IN OUR MID WEST TOWN IS SIGNIFICANT. THE ANSWER IS POLITICAL. HOW DOES ONE FIX THIS MESS?? :angryfire

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I'm torn, because it doesn't address the problem of the nursing shortage it's just a band aid.

Our hospital recruits heavily in Canada and the Phillipines. I am currently working with three new the US Filipina nurses. They are BSN prepared, skilled, hard working and the nicest nicest nicest people I have been associated with in a long time. We would be horribly short-staffed without them.

Specializes in Acute Med, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

i'm a canadian nurse, and hospitals in the southern us (meaning, anything not along the US-Canada border) recruit canadian nurses heavily. they pay us top dollar. i had the opportunity to talk to several recruiters at my school and they say it's bc canadian nursing students (at least, at the university i go to, McMaster) are better trained than students in the states. so maybe the problem isn't a nursing shortage.....maybe it's the actual programs in the schools.

i for one plan on working in the states for the first few years after i graduate. many hospitals offer graduating canadian students huuuge signing bonuses, great benefits, and great salaries. i could pay off my student loan just from the signing bonus. ($15,000 US). i know several students who have done this.

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