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Abstract

Recruitment of nurses by industrialized nations from developing countries has been common practice for decades. Globalization, a crucial trend of the 21st century, raises the world’s awareness of the economic and social disparities between nations. The direct impact on nurse emigration emphasizes the ethical, economic, and social inequalities between source and destination countries. It is often more cost-effective for industrialized countries to recruit from developing countries; however, the depletion of source country resources has created a global healthcare crisis. Destination countries are being challenged on the ethical implications of aggressive recruitment and their lack of developing a sustainable self-sufficient domestic workforce. Similarly, source countries are confronting the same challenges as they struggle to fund and educate adequate numbers of nurses for domestic needs and emigrant replacement. This article will review the ethical, economic, and social impacts of continued unrestricted international recruitment of nurses and present a proposal for development of an international treaty addressing global sustainability.