Migration of Health Care Workers in the Western Hemisphere

Health care migration is a large and global business. Recruitment is decentralized, involves both public and private sector entrepreneurs, and is difficult to regulate. The countries of the Western Hemisphere are important players in the global health market. In the major migrant receiving Western Hemisphere countries, the US and Canada, the concern is that domestically educated nurses will not be sufficient to meet growing demands. The recruitment of immigrant professionals in nursing fields helps fill existing gaps. The pages that follow outline a range of issues related to health care workers from the Western Hemisphere, their patterns of movement, their roles in the work force primarily in the US and Canada, and the impacts of health care migration on source and receiving countries. The study tracks the largest segment of migrating health care workers: nurses and long term/direct care providers who perform nursing functions. It covers training, migration requirements.