Start | Browse by Day | Author Index | Keyword Index

Global Opportunities: Nurses' and Student Nurses' Perspectives on Nurse Migration

Thursday, 16 July 2009: 10:30 AM

Tova Hendel, RN, PhD
Nursing Department, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ilya Kagan, RN, PhD
Nursing Departmnent, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Learning Objective 1: identify the main reasons for nurse migration, as perceived by nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students.

Learning Objective 2: describe the main consequences of nurse migration on the health care system in Israel, as perceived by nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students.

Purpose:

The aim of this cross-sectional-design study was to examine the reasons for  nurse migration, possible consequences of migration and intention to migrate, as perceived by nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students.

The increasing globalization of the market has influenced  global health, the nursing profession, and the nursing workforce. One of the main consequences of globalization is that migration  has become, over the past century, an increasingly widespread phenomenon motivated by political, economic, social, legal, psychological, and ideological factors. Nurse shortages in developed countries have accelerated nurse migration, sparking debate regarding  the effects to the sending (source) and receiving (host) countries.

During the last decade, many nurses emigrated from Israel, mainly to the USA and Canada, due to extensive recruitment efforts of these host countries.  The migratory flow of nurses is becoming a growing national phenomenon. We assume that this cross-border stream of internationally recruited nurses will continue.

Methods:

Two hundred subjects were asked to respond to a 4 -part structured questionnaire developed by the authors. A total of 185 responses (92%) were obtained.

Results:

26.5% of the respondents (excluding nursing directors) considered emigrating or planning to emigrate in the future. Senior nursing students considered emigrating significantly more than others  (p=.033). A significant difference in perception of the main reasons to emigrate was found among the participants, according to professional education level (p=.000). Nursing directors perceived professional reasons as significantly less influencing the intention to emigrate, than the other participants (p=.000).  

Conclusion:

Nurse migration is a symptom that should not be ignored and requires the development of adequate policies together with putting more effort into building and obtaining quality  reserve of professional nurses.

See more of: Nursing's Role in Global Policy Development
See more of: Research Sessions – Oral Paper & Posters