International migration of nurses: Political and policy issues and Implications

Migration of nurses is a global phenomenon. This presentation addresses issues regarding international migration of nurses at the individual, institutional, national, and international levels. These issues include, but not limited to, human rights and discrimination/exploitation, institutional recruitment practices, credentialing and public safety, and international relations. Based on the conceptual framework of stakeholder interests (Xu & Zhang, 2005), it argues that there are various stakeholders at the individual, institutional, national and international levels whose interests are overlapping but more often different or even conflicting. Consequently, different and even conflicting conclusions regarding global nurse migration can be reached depending on the interests of particular stakeholders. The most important question in understanding global nurse migration is to ask whose interests a given policy is designed to protect. To illustrate this line of argument and the implications of these issues, the presentation further analyzes the underpinnings of two ethical standards of international nurse recruitment published by the International Council of Nurses and the UK Department of Health. In addition, a Chinese case study and research-based analysis augment the argument by demonstrating limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach to international migration of nurses.