Safe, Sustainable and Ethical Recruitment of Internationally Qualified Registered Nurses to Australia

To critically examine the safety, sustainability and ethical dimensions of recruiting internationally qualified nurses to Australia. A Global Justice Framework focusing on the political ethics of care is applied to the complexity and practical application of issues raised by the urgent nursing workforce needs in the health and aged care sectors.

A discursive paper based on a critical reading of the literature.

Based broadly on a narrative review, this paper provides a critical analysis of relevant literature identified through CINAHL and PubMed databases. These included peer-reviewed articles, government reports, international guidelines and policy documents. Key issues identified included patient safety, sustainability and ethical considerations pertaining to international nurse migration.

Australia has rigorous standards for assessing the professional competency of Internationally Qualified Registered Nurses to ensure safety. Challenges persist, however, regarding professional integration, retention and adherence to ethical recruitment practices. While nurse migration alleviates workforce shortages in Australia, it exacerbates healthcare deficits in source countries facing critical shortages. Sustainability concerns include ensuring long-term workforce stability and maintaining high-quality care standards. Bilateral agreements must consider the needs of both source and host countries.

Addressing Australia's nursing workforce shortages requires ethical and sustainable recruitment strategies. Workforce demands must be balanced to ensure global health equity while upholding public safety and professional standards for all countries.

Ethical recruitment practices are essential for developing policies and practices that support internationally qualified nurses' professional integration and retention. Establishing robust support systems enables these nurses to adapt effectively to Australian healthcare settings. Strengthening retention strategies fosters workforce stability, minimises attrition and may contribute towards consistent delivery of high-quality and safe patient care.