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Aim: To describe the process of the migration of Moldovan nurses to Italy., Background: Formerly a part of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova gained independence in 1991. Currently, there are 25 848 nurses (60.6 per 10,000 inhabitants) working mainly in the public health system. Each year, around 2000 nurses leave the country in search of better working conditions and a better quality of life., Methods: A longitudinal study design was adopted (2006-2007). In the first phase, we contacted all known nurses living in Moldova and their available colleagues following a snowball sampling strategy. Inclusion criteria were nurses who had decided to migrate to Italy and had already prepared the migration documents and/or were awaiting their departure. In the second phase, we interviewed the same sample of nurses on arrival in Italy., Findings: After one year, only 25 nurses out of the 110 initially interviewed (22.7%) had arrived in Italy; none were working as nurses. The cost of the migration process incurred by each nurse was around 3278 euros, and the waiting time from the decision to leave until arrival was around 24 months., Conclusions: All Moldovan nurses involved in this study, once they arrived in Italy, ceased to exist from an official perspective. Policy and recommendations need to be developed to ensure the integration of Moldovan-educated nurses into the health-care system and to monitor the amount of human capital (in terms of care drain, brain drain and youth drain) that this process risks wasting.

Unlabelled: No large scale studies have been conducted in Italy to assess factors that influence hospital nurses' satisfaction., Aims: To explore the relationship between participative organizative models and outcomes on nurses (work satisfaction, burnout, intention to stay), patients (satisfaction with quality of care) and organization (nurses turnover)., Materials and Methods: This multicentre regional study involves 20 acute medical wards and more than 500 nurses. Data on the organizative model adopted in the ward will be collected with an ad hoc questionnaire with scores from 7 (scarce-limited involvement of nurses in decision making) to 35 (nurses take decisions on the management of the ward). Nurses satisfaction with their work is measured with the Nursing Work Index Revised; burnout with the Maslack Burnout Inventory; patients satisfaction with the Experiences of Nursing Care Scale Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale. The outcomes considered for the organization will be turnover, absences from work, injuries., Results: The study is ongoing. The association of each outcome to the organizzative model will be explored. Multivariate regression model will be adjusted for casemix index of the previuos year. T test and chi square tests will be used and a p value of 0.05 will be considered significant.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Aims of this study were to describe (a) the Romanian nurses' reasons for emigration and the difficulties experienced in the first six months of integration, (b) their perception of the level of professional independence and competence gained in the first six months of working and (c) the strategies that either facilitated or impeded their development of professional independence at a teaching hospital. BACKGROUND: The international recruitment of nursing staff is a strategy adopted by the Italian State to confront nursing shortages. Although the critical aspects and the opportunities available have been reported for many years, little has been written about the professional autonomy perceived by these nurses six months after their placement in the host country. DESIGN: A descriptive study involving Romanian nurses working at the Udine University Training Hospital (Italy) was used. METHODS: The participants were interviewed using anonymous questionnaires, which contained eight open and 20 closed questions. With their consent, the interview was done in the ward and took on average 45 minutes (from 30-60 minutes). Given a choice of language to use by the bilingual researcher, half the participants chose Romanian. RESULTS: The small, homogenous group of Romanian nurses used as the sample and employed at the University Training Hospital, felt satisfied (in the areas of culture/placement/integration) and recorded similar facilitating factors and obstacles as those documented by other authors. By the sixth month following placement they felt they had a sufficient level of autonomy, but this was not the case in many skills, which are an essential part of Italian nursing. CONCLUSIONS: The expectations of the hospitals involved in international recruitment are higher than the Romanian nurses can guarantee, especially in the first six months. Integration obviously needs substantial investment, less 'red-tape' and a longer period of time for adjustment. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is necessary to help and support the placement of these nurses into the Italian workforce with programmes where their practical work is supervised by permanent trained staff, allowing them to develop autonomy and ensuring an optimal standard of nursing care for the patients. It would be necessary to continue these programmes for more than six months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]