The Experiences of International Nurses

The international mobility of the nursing workforce is increasing. One nurse out of every eight now works in a country where they were not born or trained. International nurses play a vital role in the NHS. This study focuses on the workplace experiences of international nurses who have trained outside of the EU. In recent years there have been increasing numbers of nurses from outside of the European Union (EU) registering to work in the UK, notwithstanding the number of nurses from European countries continues to decline as the UK prepares to leave the EU. There is currently a global shortage of nurses. Drivers for UK recruitment of international nurses are founded in shortages of nurses related to increased health care demand, emphasis on safe staffing levels, expenditure on agency nurses and too few commissions for nurse training places, meaning that not enough nurses are entering the NHS. These factors are further exacerbated by staff retention levels and high staff turnover. Nurses' motives to leave their home countries are complex, and gaps in our understandings remain. Possible drivers for migrating to the UK or "pull factors" may include career progression, postgraduate training opportunities, work environment, sensitive employment policies, and economic benefits which enable nurses to send money back to their home countries, while "push" factors have been identified as limited education, lack of health care resources, dangerous working conditions and political instability.