Foreign nurses in the USA - L'Infirmière Magazine n° 284 du 01/09/2011 | Espace Infirmier
 

L'infirmière Magazine n° 284 du 01/09/2011

 

ANGLAIS

An increasing number (up to one third) of US registered nurses (RNs) are foreign-educated nurses (FENs), coming from 74 source countries, notably the Philippines and India(1) They are recruited by at least 211 agencies and typically have 18 to 36-month contracts.

Health Care Organisations (HCOs), who employ FENs, benefit from a short-term solution to an American staffing shortage that has lasted since the late ‘90s, as well as reduced hiring and retention costs over the long-term. It is estimated that an HCO may save up to $50k over two years by employing a FEN over an American nurse.

→ Concerns over the recruitment and employment of FENs include :

→ The current lack of accountability within the recruitment industry ;

→ The FENs’ level of cultural competency(2) ;

→ Pay inequalities. (FENs may be paid as much as 25 % less than their American colleagues.) ;

→ The larger immigration policy context ;

→ The impact on poorer source countries. In 1997, Nelson Mandela told the United Kingdom to “stop poaching” South African health workers. The resulting shift in UK policy bans recruitment from less developed countries.

Many US recruiters do not agree with this policy but some now invest in source countries’ training and scholarships.

Speaking at focus groups for this study, FENs also shared fears about financial burdens : breach of contract fees may be as much as $20k.

1– Source : étude « U.S.-Based Recruitment of Foreign-Educated Nurses : Implications of an Emerging Industry », Pittman, Patricia M.; Folsom, Amanda J. ; Bass, Emily ; AJN, American Journal of Nursing. 110 (6) : 38-48, June 2010.

2– Un prochain article abordera le traitement de ce problème en Nouvelle-Zélande.

MOTS ET EXPRESSIONS

To recruit (v) recruter

To retain (v) garder un employé

Cultural competency (n) « compétence culturelle », concept américain regroupant les qualités nécessaires pour œuvrer dans un contexte muticulturel

To poach (v)

Littéralement, « braconner » Au sens figuré, recruter chez les ? autres

To ban (n) Interdire

Scholarship (n) Bourse d’études

To breach (v) rompre (un contrat)

Fees (n pl) frais ou honoraires

QUESTIONS

1. What long-term benefit do FENs provide for HCOs ? It is cheaper to recruit and retain an FEN than an American nurse.

2. What effects did Nelson Mandela’s speech have on US policy ?

Not a lot. Some agencies now invest more in source countries, through training and scholarships.

3. Why might cultural competency issues be a problem ? Because foreigners may have a different set of social, moral, religious and legal codes.

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