Imported care: recruiting foreign nurses to U.S. health care facilities

Abstract

As U.S. health care facilities struggle to fill current registered nurse staffing vacancies, a more critical nurse undersupply is predicted over the next twenty years. In response, many institutions are doubling their efforts to attract and retain nurses. To that end, foreign nurses are increasingly being sought, creating a lucrative business for new recruiting agencies both at home and abroad. This paper examines past and current foreign nurse use as a response to nurse shortages and its implications for domestic and global nurse workforce policies.