Nurse and midwife migration: mobility and exploitation

Nursing and migration are intertwined in nature, with workforce shortages and financial incentives often operating as ‘pull and push’ factors behind the decision of health professionals to travel to new countries. This article explores the risk of migrating nurses being exploited in a variety of ways and the role of policymakers, the nursing profession, governments and populations in protecting them.

Nursing and midwifery have long been professions that have been influenced by global migration patterns, most notably in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic and nursing shortages in western countries. The UK has a current shortage of 50 000 nurses; as a result, the NHS has been recruiting internationally educated nurses and midwives (IENMs) from lower- and middle-income countries (Illman, 2023).

Nurse migration is driven by many factors including career advancement, personal growth, better opportunities for one's family (whether the family accompanies the nurse or remains in the home country), and improved pay and salary (Konlan et al, 2023). Migration can provide nurses and midwives with the opportunity to learn and develop new skills but the process can also present wider social challenges related to cultural adaptation, licensure requirements and potential ethical dilemmas.