The nation’s nursing shortage is expected to worsen following implementation later this month of an immigration law that requires Canadian nurses to pass proficiency and English-competency exams in order to earn U.S. licenses, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to estimates by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the measure could result in the loss of as many as 15,000 nurses; the Journal-Constitution notes that Canadian nurses account for up to 40% of the nursing staffs in U.S. hospitals near the U.S.-Canada border. Meanwhile, hospitals are continuing to recruit foreign-trained nurses from countries such as the Philippines, India, Nigeria, China, and Kenya in an effort to fill the growing number of vacancies. According to the journal Health Affairs, foreign-trained nurses currently make up about 4% of the U.S. nursing workforce; however, some health authorities are continuing to “question the ethical implications” of foreign recruitment campaigns because such efforts may strip developing nations of their human capital. The Journal-Constitution notes that the U.S. currently has 100,000 nursing vacancies, a figure that is expected to balloon to 275,000 as the oldest baby boomers begin to retire (McKenna, 7/14).
