Salaries, Demand and Career Opportunities Contribute to Global Nursing Faculty Migration
Experts from around the world convene at the Global Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration to identify next steps.
Letter from President Karen H. Morin RN, DSN, ANEF Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International
More than 30 years ago, I glibly said, "I can go live anywhere for two years!" Only recently have I considered that I am one of many nurses who migrated to a different country to work. My reason for migrating was simple: a career opportunity presented itself, and I took advantage of it. My intent was to return to Canada after I fulfilled my contractual obligations. That, however, did not happen, in part because of the incredible opportunities that became available in my new country. Consequently, nurse migration, and more specifically, faculty nurse migration, is the focus of this issue.
What do we know about nurse migration?
Global nurse migration has been a topic of conversation for several years, particularly as the recognition of nurse shortages has increased (Brush, 2008; Buchan, 2010; Khaliq, Broyles, & Mwachofi, 2009). Moreover, while one typically thinks of migration as something that occurs when nurses move from one country to another, the impact of migration can be just as significant when nurses move from one region of the country to another or from one setting to another (rural to urban, for instance).
Reasons why nurses migrate are well known. Push factors, that is, attributes of the source country, include but are not limited to poor working conditions, poor or dangerous environment and limited scope of practice. Pull factors, which are attributes of the destination country, include factors such as better pay, career opportunities, the power of the profession, and health care system needs.
Moreover, what has become increasingly evident is that destination countries have benefited from this migration, while source countries have suffered. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) established a code of ethical recruitment in recognition of inequities that exist consequent to migration. While there are concerns, the code is a major step in recognizing the needs of source and destination countries. For example, there are recommendations about the responsibilities that destination countries have regarding the training and retraining of health care providers in source countries. Governments are provided with provisions to help them monitor the alignment of their policies with the code. Thus, expectations for appropriate recruitment of nurses are available to country officials, and to employers within countries.
What do we know about nurse faculty migration?
Although there is considerable information about health care provider migration, and nurse migration in particular, information about nurse faculty migration is scarce, even in light of an acknowledged shortage of nurse faculty in many countries. Consequently, to address this knowledge gap, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) and the International Council of Nurses, with sponsorship through a grant from The Elsevier Foundation, conducted the Global Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration from 27-30 June 2010 near Geneva, Switzerland.
Who attended the Summit?
Key stakeholders included international nurse leaders from around the globe, other health care experts, and leaders from a variety of areas: academic institutions, policy bodies, government agencies, trade organizations, migration, economics and professional associations. The diversity of expertise and geography proved to be an exceptional strength and contributed to lively discussion of the three source issues: scaling up of nurses, the effect of trade service agreements and the impact of an aging faculty.
Prior to the summit, members completed three assignments: an instrument addressing potential issues related to nurse faculty migration, identification of expectations of the summit and individual contributions, and description of personal stories (always a powerful strategy in setting the context for any discussion). This initial work was critical to enhancing the engagement of participants, which was immediate and continuous.
During the two-and-half-day summit, the intentionally diverse groups addressed one of the three source issues employing influence diagrams and consequence. Participants considered factors such as the need to obtain an accurate description of the current state of nurse faculty migration, including the type of migration and associated causal and contributing factors. Recommendations addressing the source issues will require ongoing contributions by individuals and organizations.
The Summit is a wonderful example of the power of collaboration. Two international nursing organizations, recognizing a gap in knowledge about an important sector of the profession, that of nurse faculty, are working together to address it. Watch for more about its progress over the course of the biennium.
Reprinted from the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing August 2010
Message from the President. Read the press release for more information.
