Worldwide, many countries are currently reporting an overall shortage of nurses. This has created a steep rise in the number of international nursing placements available for suitably qualified individuals. As a result, recruitment agencies are now looking offshore for international nurses to avert this crisis, who are willing to take exciting positions available to them outside of their country of citizenship. According to the Worldwide Directory of International Nurse Recruiters this trend is set to increase and the shortage of professionally educated nurses is set to steadily increase, this is not merely a passing fad, but a sign of what is to continue.

This worldwide shortage enables individuals who are professionally educated in the field of nursing, the opportunity to see the world whilst gaining international experience, knowledge, and increasing their skill set in alternative countries within the medical field. As many countries are experiencing a severe shortage of nurses, the concerns surrounding the identification of skilled nursing staff willing to travel internationally are being exacerbated. In reaction to this, ever increasing numbers of opportunities for international nurse recruitment is a trend set to continue.

Countries such as the United States, the Middle East, Australia, Canada and Europe are all countries frequently visited by international nurses. Each of these countries is faced with spiralling labour shortages, with their respective healthcare organisations fighting to secure a high proportion of the available international nurses for varied recruitment purposes. The working conditions and salaries vary from country to country, as it does within the healthcare role that one accepts. Some of the more lucrative offers are associated with the Arab countries. However, the UK has often been a favourite among newly trained nurses and veterans alike.

Nurses that decide to work abroad have many motivating factors that form the individual’s overall decision to gain international experience and exposure within the healthcare industry. The more informed an individual can be before undertaking an available nursing placement, the more rewarding and less stressful the overall experience is likely to be.

There are many various factors which are strongly considered by hiring organisations and hospitals. Two such considerations in regards to employing nurses, for example, may be giving thought to their previous career history, and their knowledge of the local language to assist in the ease of adapting into a new position. As the communication process between patients and healthcare staff is vital for the dissemination of information and providing effective health care, nurses must be fluent in the language of the country they are visiting. International nurse placement officials, otherwise known as healthcare recruiters, have a highly specialised knowledge and a thorough understanding of recruiting trained professionals on behalf of healthcare employers. These recruiters can offer assistance with all of the necessary details that enable nurses to work abroad, in preparation for a move overseas. International nurse recruitment opens many doors and opportunities.

Nurses who are filling international nursing placements will be required to hold an appropriate work visa for the country where they are planning to work, as well as provide proof of licensure to practice their profession in that country. There is no better time to consider an international nursing placement, to begin an international career in one of the fastest growing and longest running employment fields of all time.