There’s been talk of a coming nursing shortage for a number of years. A recent report from the US Department of Health and Human Services National Center for Health Workforce Analysis found that of the 3.9 million RNs, the average age is 50, meaning many will retire in the next decade as they reach 65. And this is coming at the same time the number of Americans over 85 years of age is expected to double, from 6.3 million in 2015 to 13 million by 2035.
These data indicate that there may be fewer nurses, particularly in some regions of the country and in some areas of care, at a time when the need for nursing care is increasing. As with other nursing shortages, when schools are unable to graduate enough nurses to fill the gap (the shortage of qualified faculty continues to force schools to turn away qualified students), some hospitals will turn to recruiting foreign-educated nurses (FEN), many of whom are experienced and and have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Currently, it’s estimated that “between 8% to 15% of the US nursing workforce is foreign educated, with most of them coming from the Philippines.” “The Recruitment Experience of Foreign-Educated Health Professionals to the United States,” a CE article in our January issue, provides a timely analysis of the recruitment and status of foreign-educated health professionals (FEHPs) in the Unites States. CGFNS International, formerly known as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, and its Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices division conducted the survey of FEHPs to follow up on a 2007 report on recruitment practices and processes that resulted in development of the Alliance and standards of practice for ethical recruitment.
The first part half of the article summarizes the current “regulatory landscape, economic issues, recruitment industry changes, and current demographic and migration trends in the United States.” The second part reports the findings of the study, which included a survey pf 1,017 FEHPs from 56 countries and interviews with 30 FEHPs about their recruitment experiences.
Some improvement in recruiting practices, but many problems remain.
While it seems that there has been improvement in practices, the authors conclude that the “problems that led to the creation of the Alliance and its code persist 12 years after Academy Health’s landmark 2007 report.”
This is not just a matter for recruiters and regulators—we should all be concerned with how our newly transplanted colleagues were treated during recruitment and acclimated to their new environments. As the authors note:
“Providing a better recruitment experience allows FENs, and other FEHPs, to dedicate more time, effort, and energy to their patients. Workforce cohesion and, ultimately, the quality of patient care depend on ensuring that all colleagues are treated fairly, trained well, and positioned to succeed in demanding health care environments.”
The article is free to read. And you can visit our podcasts page to listen to a podcast with the authors, Franklin A. Shaffer and Mukul A. Bakhshi.
You have shared an urgent crisis here, Shawn. Dealing with healthcare professionals hailing from different nations will have its share of problems, but the recruiters need to welcome them first. Acknowledging the fact that it’s difficult for them to work in another place followed by the need for patient care and giving good training could help this situation get better.