The Contributions of Immigrant Nurses in the U.S. During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A CGFNS International Study

Shaffer, Franklin A.; Bakhshi, Mukul; Cook, Kaley; Álvarez, Thomas D.

No other event has put healthcare – and nursing – at the forefront of local, national, and global discussions in the same way as the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies suggest that immigrant nurses are a critical part of U.S. healthcare and we are increasingly reliant on the skills they bring and the care they provide. To quantify and qualify this contribution, CGFNS International designed a data-collection survey and distributed to nearly 74,000 foreign-educated healthcare professionals currently practicing in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. While some challenges were reported, most nurses surveyed reported working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and having access to adequate PPE, and many felt the public perception of nurses has improved since the beginning of the pandemic. Continued research on the experiences of immigrant nurses during ongoing global pandemic response and beyond could provide more comprehensive information on the immigrant nurses that drive the U.S. health system.