Nurses are considered as one of the hardest working individuals in the healthcare field. They are the unsung heroes of healthcare. These angels, who live among us, quietly care the patients with compassion and professionalism. They are the first to step forward during natural disasters or emergency situations despite great personal risk. Every year, International Nurses Week spotlights the contributions and sacrifices of nursing professionals worldwide. But they deserve more than just a week to be celebrated.
Although nurses have the major role in providing health services, today’s world is facing shortage of nurses and it’s greater than ever. According to WHO, the world will be short of 12.9 million health-care workers by 2035; at present, that figure stands at 7.2 million. The developed countries are trying to alleviate this national shortage by recruiting top-quality nurses from Asian and African continents. The rapid growth in international recruitment from developing countries to industrialized countries such as Australia, UK, Ireland and Canada has gained most media and policy attention in recent years. India is currently one among the topper countries that provide largest source of migrant nurses worldwide.
Even though the nurses are in a huge demand in health care sector of developing countries like India, they prefer to migrate to developed countries. This phenomenon is caused by some Push and pulls factors. Nurses are pushed by their home countries because of low wages, limited professional growth, unstable and/or dangerous working situations, lack of social and retirement benefits, unsatisfactory political environment etc. The Pull factors created by recipient countries include better paying jobs, opportunities for personal and professional advancement, recognition of expertise, stable socio-political environments, quality of life and retirement benefits.
According to Karen B. Haller, PhD, RN, Vice President for Nursing and Patient Care Services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the migration of nurses is helpful in many ways. “it creates a more culturally diverse workforce, attracts professional immigrants to communities, and fosters a positive image of hiring institutions globally”. Meantime, the migration also help the nurses to bring the skills they learned back to their home countries. While checking the benefits for nurses in moving abroad for jobs we can see the following things.
- They learn about diverse people, cultures, belief systems, and worldviews which are essential for becoming effective in a people-centered profession.
- By understanding more about people and their varying lifestyles, they can effectively help people move from illness toward wellness.
- Nurses can become culturally aware, sensitive, and competent though experiencing another culture in an unfamiliar environment.
- International experience will enhance nurses’ professional skills, communication strategies, and allow them to become more effective with the patients they serve no matter where they choose to practice.
All these factors contribute further for the global phenomena of migration of nurse population to new horizons.