In our own little corner of the nursing world, we might take for granted the ability to choose a specialty and place of employment — even if that means moving from one end of the country to the other.
Across the globe, less fortunate nurses, especially women, face hardships and even death as they migrate in search of work to seek a better life.
Glaring Injustices
The fifth CGFNS International Building Global Alliances Symposium, held Dec. 7-8 in Philadelphia, called attention to the glaring injustices that encumber women and nurses who simply want to move freely in our world, and to valiant nurses who rise to the challenge.
Keynote speaker, journalist Sally Armstrong, recounted examples of oppression of women in war-torn Afghanistan forced into arranged marriages at young ages and denied the rights to work outside their homes or attend school. Nurses bear the burden of "fixing what is broken," Armstrong says, "because building a nation means starting with healthy people."
Nurses who are able migrate to developed countries in search of opportunity, Peter Beuerhaus, RN, PhD, FAAN, told symposium attendees. "One-third of nurses in the U.S. are foreign-born," said Buerhaus, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at the Institute of Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. This trend is increasing, with a long-range forecast of growing demand for foreign nurses, he said.
Cross-Cultural Challenges
"Migration poses cross-cultural challenges for women in health professions," said Katrin Schultheiss, PhD, associate professor in the History Department and Gender and Women's Studies Program at University of Illinois, Chicago. Schultheiss' presentation offered a glance through world history, shedding light on why culture clashes occurred during British colonization when well-intentioned professionals brought their version of healing to foreign lands.
"Lessons can be learned, so as not to repeat [cultural mistakes]," she said. Colonizing healthcare professionals must respect and acknowledge local practices and cultures when establishing care services.
The migration story is linked closely with multicultural issues. "Immigrant nurses face the challenge of becoming a minority in a new country for the first time," said Deborah Washington, RN, MSN, director of diversity in patient care services for Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. These nurses face language barriers, family separation, health and financial problems, and homesickness. Washington proposed mentoring for minority professionals and training for staff on diversity and cultural competency during this time of global migration.
"We need to take care of issues at home [in the U.S.] — disruptive behaviors against nurses, intimidation, lack of parity with other professions, and exploitation," said Diana Mason, RN, PhD, FAAN, editor in chief for the American Journal of Nursing. Mason recounted the Sentosa 27 case (involving 26 nurses and one physical therapist hired by Philippines-based Sentosa Recruitment Agency), in which Filippino health professionals were charged with patient abandonment after they protested unfair working conditions and their employment status in the U.S., which differed from the contracts they had signed.
Human Trafficking
Defrauding of nurses or forcing them into labor is one type of human trafficking, according to CGFNS. The symposium, titled "The Challenges of Migration for Health Professional Women," made clear that fraudulent recruiters, illegitimate exchange programs, and the inherent or legal subjugation of women in many places has resulted in a disparate number of educated, skilled women being exploited outside their native countries.
"The healthcare professional is the first line of contact for victims of trafficking, for example, in EDs," said Laura Lederer, senior adviser on Human Trafficking for the U.S. Department of State.
Afaf Meleis, RN, PhD, FAAN, recipient of the 2008 CGFNS International Distinguished Leadership Award, suggested that nurses be placed at the policy table.
"We need an agency for women at the United Nations," Meleis said. "Women and nurses face risks all over the world — and right in our own backyard — and work despite it all."
Across the globe, less fortunate nurses, especially women, face hardships and even death as they migrate in search of work to seek a better life.
Glaring Injustices
The fifth CGFNS International Building Global Alliances Symposium, held Dec. 7-8 in Philadelphia, called attention to the glaring injustices that encumber women and nurses who simply want to move freely in our world, and to valiant nurses who rise to the challenge.
Keynote speaker, journalist Sally Armstrong, recounted examples of oppression of women in war-torn Afghanistan forced into arranged marriages at young ages and denied the rights to work outside their homes or attend school. Nurses bear the burden of "fixing what is broken," Armstrong says, "because building a nation means starting with healthy people."
Nurses who are able migrate to developed countries in search of opportunity, Peter Beuerhaus, RN, PhD, FAAN, told symposium attendees. "One-third of nurses in the U.S. are foreign-born," said Buerhaus, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at the Institute of Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. This trend is increasing, with a long-range forecast of growing demand for foreign nurses, he said.
Cross-Cultural Challenges
"Migration poses cross-cultural challenges for women in health professions," said Katrin Schultheiss, PhD, associate professor in the History Department and Gender and Women's Studies Program at University of Illinois, Chicago. Schultheiss' presentation offered a glance through world history, shedding light on why culture clashes occurred during British colonization when well-intentioned professionals brought their version of healing to foreign lands.
"Lessons can be learned, so as not to repeat [cultural mistakes]," she said. Colonizing healthcare professionals must respect and acknowledge local practices and cultures when establishing care services.
The migration story is linked closely with multicultural issues. "Immigrant nurses face the challenge of becoming a minority in a new country for the first time," said Deborah Washington, RN, MSN, director of diversity in patient care services for Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. These nurses face language barriers, family separation, health and financial problems, and homesickness. Washington proposed mentoring for minority professionals and training for staff on diversity and cultural competency during this time of global migration.
"We need to take care of issues at home [in the U.S.] — disruptive behaviors against nurses, intimidation, lack of parity with other professions, and exploitation," said Diana Mason, RN, PhD, FAAN, editor in chief for the American Journal of Nursing. Mason recounted the Sentosa 27 case (involving 26 nurses and one physical therapist hired by Philippines-based Sentosa Recruitment Agency), in which Filippino health professionals were charged with patient abandonment after they protested unfair working conditions and their employment status in the U.S., which differed from the contracts they had signed.
Human Trafficking
Defrauding of nurses or forcing them into labor is one type of human trafficking, according to CGFNS. The symposium, titled "The Challenges of Migration for Health Professional Women," made clear that fraudulent recruiters, illegitimate exchange programs, and the inherent or legal subjugation of women in many places has resulted in a disparate number of educated, skilled women being exploited outside their native countries.
"The healthcare professional is the first line of contact for victims of trafficking, for example, in EDs," said Laura Lederer, senior adviser on Human Trafficking for the U.S. Department of State.
Afaf Meleis, RN, PhD, FAAN, recipient of the 2008 CGFNS International Distinguished Leadership Award, suggested that nurses be placed at the policy table.
"We need an agency for women at the United Nations," Meleis said. "Women and nurses face risks all over the world — and right in our own backyard — and work despite it all."
Lorraine Steefel, RN, DNP, CTN, is a Senior Staff Writer for Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek. To comment, e-mail editorPA@NursingSpectrum.com
