Abstract
Introduction: The nursing shortage in the United States is a significant and ongoing challenge for the healthcare system. Internationally educated nurses (IEN) make up a substantial portion of the nursing workforce in many countries including United States to help address nursing shortages. But IENs often face unique challenges related to cultural differences, language barriers, and professional practice variations which can affect their successful integration and retention. This quality improvement project developed, implemented, and evaluated a comprehensive orientation program to reduce turn-over rates in IENs.
Methods: Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Joanna Briggs, and CINAHL were used to search for evidence. The keywords were internationally educated nurses, retention, and turn-over. Based on the evidence reviewed, the intervention that was implemented was a comprehensive orientation program incorporating cultural adaptation, clinical skills enhancement, emotional support and professional coaching. The intervention started last January 2023 and consisted of a week of orientation program tailored to the specific needs of IENs.
Results: The orientation program resulted in a notable increase in retention rate among IENs from 65.4% in 2022 to 93.3% in 2023.
Discussion: The tailored orientation program proved to be an effective strategy for increasing retention rate among IENs. By addressing the unique challenges faced by the nurses, the program enhanced their integration and retention within the healthcare workforce. Continued refinement and expansion of such programs are recommended to sustain and build upon these positive outcomes.
Notes
References:
Ung, D. S. K., Goh, Y. S., Poon, R. Y. S., Lin, Y. P., Seah, B., Lopez, V., Mikkonen, K., Yong, K. K., & Liaw, S. Y. (2024). Global migration and factors influencing retention of Asian internationally educated nurses: a systematic review. Human resources for health, 22(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00900-5
Sigma Membership
Alpha Beta
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Implementation Science, Mentoring and Coaching, Workforce, Internationally Educated Nurses, Nursing Shortage USA, Retention, Turnover
Recommended Citation
Toquero, Lei and Pascua, Miriam, "Mitigating Fast Turnover Rates of the Internationally Educated US RNs" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 21.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/21
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
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
2025-11-19
Mitigating Fast Turnover Rates of the Internationally Educated US RNs
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Introduction: The nursing shortage in the United States is a significant and ongoing challenge for the healthcare system. Internationally educated nurses (IEN) make up a substantial portion of the nursing workforce in many countries including United States to help address nursing shortages. But IENs often face unique challenges related to cultural differences, language barriers, and professional practice variations which can affect their successful integration and retention. This quality improvement project developed, implemented, and evaluated a comprehensive orientation program to reduce turn-over rates in IENs.
Methods: Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Joanna Briggs, and CINAHL were used to search for evidence. The keywords were internationally educated nurses, retention, and turn-over. Based on the evidence reviewed, the intervention that was implemented was a comprehensive orientation program incorporating cultural adaptation, clinical skills enhancement, emotional support and professional coaching. The intervention started last January 2023 and consisted of a week of orientation program tailored to the specific needs of IENs.
Results: The orientation program resulted in a notable increase in retention rate among IENs from 65.4% in 2022 to 93.3% in 2023.
Discussion: The tailored orientation program proved to be an effective strategy for increasing retention rate among IENs. By addressing the unique challenges faced by the nurses, the program enhanced their integration and retention within the healthcare workforce. Continued refinement and expansion of such programs are recommended to sustain and build upon these positive outcomes.
Description
The nursing shortage in the United States is a significant and ongoing challenge for the healthcare system. Internationally educated nurses (IEN) make up a substantial portion of the nursing workforce in many countries including United States to help address nursing shortages. But IENs often face unique challenges related to cultural differences, language barriers, and professional practice variations which can affect their successful integration and retention.