Factors affecting the relocation and transition of internationally educated nurses migrating to the United States of America

Abstract

A paucity of research studies and systematic reviews have been conducted on IEN nurse migration experiences in the US. The number of IENs in the US RN workforce is projected to continue growing. Therefore, studies on nurse migration and IEN relocation and transition experiences are essential. This exploratory descriptive study on the transition conditions and professional satisfaction of nurses migrating to the US provides information on the complex pull and push factors affecting nurse migration.

This study described the push factors, pull factors, personal characteristics, motivation to migrate, transition conditions, family/social environment, work environment, and professional satisfaction of IENs in the US health care system. It also described the differences in these IENs across source countries by world region. This study's conceptual framework guided the data analysis and exploration of concepts.

Results for this study indicated the majority of IENs who received their basic nursing education across all WHO regions experienced high professional satisfaction on all items in the Professional Satisfaction subscale. Although unexpected, this finding may reflect the maturity of the IENs, as they were not new nurses but filled out the instrument retrospectively. Their memory of their relocation and transition experiences may have lost its immediacy.

This research study added to the knowledge base on nurse migration issues by providing a greater understanding of foreign nurses' relocation and transition experiences in the US, and the successful integration of foreign nurses from around the world into the healthcare workforce. Several IEN participants indicated in their open-ended comments that they desired transition programs both in their source countries and their destination countries. Individualized IEN transition programs could be developed with modular components and content on clinical practice, organizational environment, and IEN specific issues such as state board registration and seminars on communication issues, workplace ethics, and how to handle workplace issues such as discrimination. It is hoped that as IENS relocate to the US and transition into the healthcare environment, they will experience increased professional satisfaction.