A multi-country perspective on nurses' tasks below their skill level: reports from domestically trained nurses and
Luk Bruyneel1, Baoyue Li, Linda Aiken
1Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, University of Leuven, Belgium. Luk.bruyneel@med.kuleuven.be
International Journal of Nursing Studies
|July 24, 2012
Summary
Foreign-trained nurses from developing countries report performing tasks below their skill level more often. This highlights a need to optimize nursing practice and support these nurses in developed countries.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Workforce Research
- International Migration of Healthcare Professionals
- Healthcare Human Resources Management
Background:
- Studies indicate suboptimal utilization of nurses' time and energy.
- Nurse migration from developing to developed nations necessitates understanding educational impacts on efficiency.
- Investigating nursing education in developing countries is crucial for human resource planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document nurses' experiences with tasks below their professional skill level.
- To analyze the relationship between nurses' training origin (domestic vs. developing country) and performing such tasks.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional quantitative study of 33,731 nurses across 12 European countries (Registered Nurse Forecasting Study).
- Analysis utilized nurse-reported data on migratory status and performance of tasks below skill level.
- Random effects models were employed to assess the impact of migratory status.
Main Results:
- 2.5% of nurses (832) were trained in developing countries.
- Both domestically and foreign-trained nurses frequently reported tasks below their skill level.
- Foreign-trained nurses from developing countries showed a significant increase in reporting tasks below skill level, even after adjustments.
Conclusions:
- Significant opportunities exist to enhance the optimal use of nurses' time and energy.
- Prioritizing the professional development of foreign-trained nurses from developing countries is recommended.
- Further research should explore practice standards, skill alignment, and cultural influences on task performance.
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