Abstract
Purpose: The intent of the Ambassador program is to foster an inclusive culture of belonging for internationally educated nurses (IEN) to aid in their acculturation to the organization and community.
Relevance/Significance: COVID 19 exacerbated the already stressed nursing workforce. Recruitment of IENs is a strategy to supplement the nursing workforce. There has been a 26% increase of IEN transitioning to US practice in a single year. Culture shock is a challenge that IENs may experience during their transition. Support provided from an Ambassador to an IEN during their transition is a strategy to assist with their acculturation potentially minimizing culture shock.
Strategy/Implementation/Methods: Subject matter experts, literature review, and IEN lived experiences aid in developing the program. Hospital employees from various disciplines such as Nursing, Human Resource, Social Work, & ancillary staff volunteered to participate as Ambassadors. Inclusion criteria: any employee with a desire to serve in the role and highly recommended by their leadership. Information sessions, Ambassador champion meetings, IEN virtual mixers were held to promote engagement. Ambassador training included content on phases of acculturation, IEN transition, & roles and responsibilities. The Ambassadors initiated a Pen Pal relationship with the IEN pre-arrival. Ambassadors were assigned 1 to 10 IENs.
Evaluation/Outcomes/Results: To date 145 Ambassadors have participated in the program. Active engagement noted during IEN virtual mixers between Ambassadors and IENs. Repeated themes shared by IENS after being asked what excites them most about transitioning to US practice are new friends, career, growth, skills, opportunity. Testimonial from an ambassador shared she is eager to show her pen pal all the hospital and community has to offer. Ambassadors welcomed IENs to their units and served as a community resource. The impact of the program has resulted in increased IEN applicants. To date, the organization has onboard 210 IENS between September 2022 - August 2023, will a retention rate of 99%.
Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The ambassador program has positively contributed to the acculturation of the transitioning IEN. Implementing an ambassador program can buffer the symptoms of culture shock. Ambassador program can be beneficial to other populations such as new graduate nurses or physician residents.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Internationally Educated Nurses, Nurse Migration, Belonging, Inclusivity
Recommended Citation
Williams, Kate and Porter, Marlene, "Fostering an Inclusive Culture of Belonging for Internationally Educated Nurses" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 49.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/49
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-18
Fostering an Inclusive Culture of Belonging for Internationally Educated Nurses
Washington, DC, USA
Purpose: The intent of the Ambassador program is to foster an inclusive culture of belonging for internationally educated nurses (IEN) to aid in their acculturation to the organization and community.
Relevance/Significance: COVID 19 exacerbated the already stressed nursing workforce. Recruitment of IENs is a strategy to supplement the nursing workforce. There has been a 26% increase of IEN transitioning to US practice in a single year. Culture shock is a challenge that IENs may experience during their transition. Support provided from an Ambassador to an IEN during their transition is a strategy to assist with their acculturation potentially minimizing culture shock.
Strategy/Implementation/Methods: Subject matter experts, literature review, and IEN lived experiences aid in developing the program. Hospital employees from various disciplines such as Nursing, Human Resource, Social Work, & ancillary staff volunteered to participate as Ambassadors. Inclusion criteria: any employee with a desire to serve in the role and highly recommended by their leadership. Information sessions, Ambassador champion meetings, IEN virtual mixers were held to promote engagement. Ambassador training included content on phases of acculturation, IEN transition, & roles and responsibilities. The Ambassadors initiated a Pen Pal relationship with the IEN pre-arrival. Ambassadors were assigned 1 to 10 IENs.
Evaluation/Outcomes/Results: To date 145 Ambassadors have participated in the program. Active engagement noted during IEN virtual mixers between Ambassadors and IENs. Repeated themes shared by IENS after being asked what excites them most about transitioning to US practice are new friends, career, growth, skills, opportunity. Testimonial from an ambassador shared she is eager to show her pen pal all the hospital and community has to offer. Ambassadors welcomed IENs to their units and served as a community resource. The impact of the program has resulted in increased IEN applicants. To date, the organization has onboard 210 IENS between September 2022 - August 2023, will a retention rate of 99%.
Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The ambassador program has positively contributed to the acculturation of the transitioning IEN. Implementing an ambassador program can buffer the symptoms of culture shock. Ambassador program can be beneficial to other populations such as new graduate nurses or physician residents.
Description
A large academic medical center developed and evaluated an Ambassador program to foster an inclusive culture of belonging for internationally educated nurses (IEN) to aid in their acculturation to the organization and community.