Commuter migration: work environment factors influencing nurses' decisions regarding choice of employment

Nurse migration is of global concern for every country, and study of migration can provide critical information for managers concerned with nurse recruitment and retention. This mixed-methods research examined factors influencing registered nurses' (RNs') decisions to work in their home country, Canada, or to commute daily to a nursing position in the United States. Measures included nurses' feelings about their work environment conditions, work status congruence (the goodness of fit between employer expectations and their own regarding hours and times worked), professional development opportunities, and their perceptions of organizational support and autonomy (freedom and independence) in the workplace. All work environment variables were significantly higher for nurses working in Michigan. Qualitative results supported these survey findings, providing additional information about nurses' satisfaction. Nurses in our sample were more satisfied with all the work environment factors examined, even when stress from commuting out of country was experienced. The environmental issues examined in this study should be considered by nurse managers concerned with recruitment and retention of nurses.