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Up-to-date data on foreign-educated nurses (FENs) in Italy and the recognition of their professional qualifications are pivotal to boost international discussion, and to improve the engagement and involvement of multistakeholders in the nursing profession. Currently, FENs in Italy represent roughly 6% of the total number of registered nurses. FENs are predominantly females between 35 and 54 years old. This article discusses FENs' paths to achieve their professional qualification to practice in Italy. It also offers insights for regulators and stakeholders, such as the need to enlarge the scope of practice for nurses.

Advocacy in the nursing sector is often about advocating for patients. However, nurses have begun to put more effort into protecting their rights as workers. Advocacy on behalf of foreign-educated nurses has been a critical component of this advocacy. While foreign-educated nurses can make our nursing workforce stronger, this can only happen if they are well-treated and well-trained. Organizations across diverse missions and perspectives have come together to promote fair treatment of foreign-educated nurses, which ultimately ensures that all nurses are working as effectively as possible and that patients receive proper care. The Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices' Health Care Code for Ethical Recruitment and Employment Practices represents a bottom-up agreement on which market practices constitute ethical recruitment. From a top-down level, the World Health Organization's Code of Global Practice establishes obligations and reporting requirements for member states that commit to ensuring ethical recruitment. This combination of efforts, bolstered by strong advocacy, is gaining traction as nursing migration grows at the global level. The collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups and the combination of legal, voluntary, and global efforts to promote the rights of foreign-educated nurses provides a model to apply for advocacy in different areas.

The author shares his learnings as a nurse leader. Currently, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CGFNS International, Inc. (formerly known as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools), he discusses job transitions; the importance of networks and colleagues, and collaboration.

Objective: To determine whether foreign-educated nurses (FENs) perceived they were treated equitably in the U.S. workplace during the last period of high international recruitment from 2003 to 2007., Background: With experts predicting that isolated nursing shortages could return as soon as 2015, it is important to examine the lessons learned during the last period of high international recruitment in order to anticipate and address problems that may be endemic to such periods. In this baseline study, we asked FENs who were recruited to work in the United States between 2003 and 2007 about their hourly wages; clinical and cultural orientation to the United States; wages, benefits, and shift or unit assignments; and job satisfaction., Methods: In 2008, we administered a survey to FENs who were issued VisaScreen certificates by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools International between 2003 and 2007. We measured four outcomes of interest (hourly wages, job satisfaction, adequacy of orientation, and perceived discrimination) and conducted descriptive and regression analyses to determine if country of education and recruitment model were correlated with the outcomes., Results: We found that 51% of respondents reported receiving insufficient orientation and 40% reported at least one discriminatory practice with regard to wages, benefits, or shift or unit assignments. FENs educated in low-income countries and those recruited by staffing agencies were significantly more likely than other FENs to report that they receive inequitable treatment compared with their U.S. counterparts., Conclusions: These findings raise both practical and ethical concerns that should interest those striving to create positive health care workplace environments and to ensure staff retention. Health care leaders should take steps to ensure that FENs are, and perceive that they are, treated equitably.

Migration and globalization of the nursing workforce affect source countries and destination countries. Policies and regulations governing the movement of nurses from one country to another safeguard the public by ensuring educational comparability and competence. The global movement of nurses and other health care workers calls for quality and safety competencies that meet standards such as those defined by the Institute of Medicine. This article examines nurse migration and employment of internationally educated nurses (IENs) in the context of supporting and maintaining safe, quality patient care environments. Migration to the United States is featured as an exemplar to consider the following key factors: the impact of nurse migration on the nursing workforce; issues in determining educational comparability of nursing programs between countries; quality and safety concerns in transitioning IENs into the workforce; and strategies for helping IENs transition as safe, qualified members of the nursing workforce in the destination country., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)