How are you lightening the burden of the need for experienced nurses in your organization? Burning staff out with overtime or maybe you are spending millions on travel/agency. Leading hospitals in the United States are looking beyond borders; even the AHA has lobbied Congress to ease the nurse visa backlog. However, you do not have to look far, and there is no need to wait for long-overdue, costly visas.
Just look north! Canadian RNs coming to work in the US is not a new phenomenon. The geographic proximity, ease of mobility and immediacy permitted by NAFTA, and the abundance of opportunity in the US all make for an optimal recruiting environment. By now, everyone acknowledges their education and training more than prepare them to work in the US, and the cultural assimilation is seamless. Therefore, we will focus on WHY they may be interested in working for your organization so you might better position yourself to attract this pool of exceptional nurses.
So what are the push-pull factors that bring Canadian RNs to the US? Companies like ours that specialize in Canadian recruitment see trends that shift occasionally, but we can confidentiality say the following factors consistently drive Canadian recruitment.
1. Job Stability: The Canadian Government regularly take up efforts to restructure the health system to shift funds. As a result, RNs are often impacted and replaced with LPNs/LVNs leaving fewer RNs on the floor. This practice has negatively impacted the overall confidence in job security.
2. Professional Growth: Canadian nurses feel more valued by US hospitals. The continuing education, support from management and leadership development contrast significantly – where in Canada many feel it is strictly a job because of scarcity and limited options; you take whatever you can get. In the US, there is an abundance of education and the positive relationships between physicians and nurses, mentor-ship and colleague-ship are all welcomed environments.
3. Lifestyle: More sunshine and fewer taxes! The brutal winter weather is long and hard. We often hear from nurses that they simply cannot do another winter and desire sunshine and warmer temperatures. In addition, the lower tax rates put more money in their pockets, and the reduced tax burden is a welcomed relief.
Overall, study after study reveals that Canadian nurses believe that working abroad will provide more adventure, full-time work, professional development, appropriate staffing, flexible scheduling, and freedom to choose their preferred job sector/specialty.
Since 2001, we have connected thousands of RNs with US hospitals. If you want information on how to access experienced Canadian RNs interested in working in the United States, email Kim at [email protected]
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