The Ethical Recruitment of Internationally Educated Nurses: A Leadership Perspective on Labor Migration

Abstract

The trend in labor migration depends on variables such as the country’s economy, immigration policy, aging and population health, and the health care industry’s supply and demand prospects. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Migration Policy Institute reported a steady rise in hiring international educated nurses with developed countries relying on foreign-born nurses to fill vacancies. According to a survey conducted by the International Council of Nurses in 2020, the National Nurses Association reported a 20% increase in nurses leaving the profession. The aging nursing workforce, heavy workload, insufficient staffing, burnout, stress, mass trauma, and the growing effects of COVID-19 on nurses’ psychosocial and emotional health exacerbated the nurses’ intention to leave. Although health care organizations are strained dealing with the outbreak, nurses are either retiring or quitting, leaving administrators to rely on temporary employees while struggling to fill permanent positions. This cyclical nursing shortage in the past, now exacerbated by the global pandemic crisis, has prompted policymakers to revisit the WHO’s Code on recruitment of health workers and its impact on sending and receiving countries.