Foreign Nurse Recruitment : Practical Considerations
Posted Nov 21, 2003

We are pleased to report that an attorney from The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C. recently attended a conference devoted to issues surrounding recruitment of foreign health care workers. The November 7, 2003 conference, a first of its kind, was sponsored by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). The event generated a full capacity crowd of more than 200 participants. The high level of interest shows the demand for information and resources concerning the recruitment of international health care professionals. AONE promised to organize future seminars to meet the growing demand.

Shortage of Nurses Expected to Grow

Barbara Nichols, CEO of the Council of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) presented the keynote address. She relayed that current health care workforce trends predict an estimated growth of 1,000,000 nursing jobs between 2000 and 2010. She also gave us a detailed picture of CGFNS, its employees, and its services. Her description included valuable, practical information regarding the VisaScreen certificate. Representatives from a range of health care providers also offered their insights on the current status and future of international health care recruitment in general, with a focus on registered nurses. Among those present were several successful international nurse recruiting companies and international staffing companies, as well as representatives from large heath care providers who employ foreign educated nurses. The companies present were active in more than 14 different, primarily English-speaking, countries including India, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, and countries in the Caribbean, Middle East, and Europe.

Expansion of NCLEX Locations by 2005

Nancy Chornick, Director of Credentialing for the National Council State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provided an update on its efforts to offer the NCLEX exam at several locations outside of the U.S., beginning in early 2005. Ms. Chornick pointed out the alarming statistic that the number of U.S. nurses taking the NCLEX exam has dropped from 96,000 in 1995 to only 70,000 last year. Yet, as the rate of new licensed nurses continues to fall, the number of nursing jobs in the U.S. continues to grow. The growth in jobs is directly tied to an ever-increasing number of senior citizens due to longer life-spans, as well as the aging of our current nursing workforce. The average age of a registered nurse (RN) in the U.S. is 45 years. Clearly, the U.S. health care system should embrace a younger international workforce of skilled health care professionals.

Legal Options in Bringing in RNs

Several of our attorney colleagues were also present to offer perspectives on the immigration issues faced by recruiters, their U.S. employers, and foreign-born health care professionals. We were pleased to see some of our clients in attendance, as well.

Catherine Walsh, vice president of patient care at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, IL presented a detailed explanation of an alternative approach to recruiting that assists foreign-born nurses already present in the U.S. Her program is called the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium. It taps into the existing population of foreign-born nurses, predominantly of Hispanic and Polish ethnicities, already present in the Chicago area. Her first group of 23 nurses is currently undergoing the immigration process.

Valuable Perspectives on International Nurse Recruitment

The conference provided a means to share ideas and experiences in the challenging business of international nursing recruitment and representation. Attendees obtained insight and a perspective on ways successful companies engage in the recruitment of foreign health care workers. They also were able to study established programs of leading hospitals and other health care providers regarding the successful integration of international health care providers. Topics ranged from immigration procedures and timelines; degree, certification, and language requirements for candidates; cultural assimilation and technological training programs; as well as human resource and staff integration issues that employers of foreign-trained nurses must address. Each of these elements plays a critical part in making international recruitment a successful solution to the health care worker crisis.

Conclusion

The Law Office of Sheela Murthy remains at the cutting edge of developments in the international health care sector. We are committed to assisting our clients with the complexities of immigration law for international health care workers, as well as understanding the related challenges that our clients face in the business of healthcare recruiting.