The Experiences of International Nurses

NCT ID: NCT05364775

Last Updated: 2025-07-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: WITHDRAWN
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2024-02-01

Brief Summary

The international mobility of the nursing workforce is increasing. One nurse out of every eight now works in a country where they were not born or trained. International nurses play a vital role in the NHS. This study focuses on the workplace experiences of international nurses who have trained outside of the EU. In recent years there have been increasing numbers of nurses from outside of the European Union (EU) registering to work in the UK, notwithstanding the number of nurses from European countries continues to decline as the UK prepares to leave the EU. There is currently a global shortage of nurses. Drivers for UK recruitment of international nurses are founded in shortages of nurses related to increased health care demand, emphasis on safe staffing levels, expenditure on agency nurses and too few commissions for nurse training places, meaning that not enough nurses are entering the NHS. These factors are further exacerbated by staff retention levels and high staff turnover. Nurses' motives to leave their home countries are complex, and gaps in our understandings remain. Possible drivers for migrating to the UK or "pull factors" may include career progression, postgraduate training opportunities, work environment, sensitive employment policies, and economic benefits which enable nurses to send money back to their home countries, while "push" factors have been identified as limited education, lack of health care resources, dangerous working conditions and political instability.

Conditions

Nurse's Role; Recruitment

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_ONLY
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Focus Groups with International Nurses

It is anticipated that there will be four focus groups, each comprised of 6-8 participants

Focus group

Intervention Type: OTHER

Focus group

Interviews with Nursing Staff

Interviews with qualified and unqualified staff who work with international nurses

Focus group

Intervention Type: OTHER

Focus group

Interventions

Focus group

Focus group

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Phase 1

• International nurses recruited via the fellowship scheme and external recruitment agencies.
• International nurses who have trained in countries outside of the EU.
• International nurses who have been living in the UK between six months and two years.
• The international nurses will be employees of RWT

Phase 2

• Health Care Assistants and Qualified Nurses (Band 5-7) who alongside with international nurses.

Exclusion Criteria

• International nurses who trained in the EU.
• International nurses who have lived in the UK for less than 6 months.

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Wolverhampton, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

Other Identifiers

2021NUR118

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id