Several studies have concluded that the use of nurses’ time and energy is often not optimized. Given widespread migration of nurses from developing to developed countries, it is important for human resource planning to know whether nursing education in developing countries is associated with more exaggerated patterns of inefficiency. Objectives First, to describe nurses’ reports on tasks below their skill level. Second, to examine the association between nurses’ migratory status (domestically trained nurse or foreign trained nurse from a developing country) and reports on these tasks. Design The Registered Nurse Forecasting Study used a cross-sectional quantitative research design to gather data from 33,731 nurses (62% response rate) in 486 hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Methods For this analysis, nurse-reported information on migratory status and tasks below their skill level performed during their last shift was used. Random effects models estimated the effect of nurses’ migratory status on reports of these tasks. Results 832 nurses were trained in a developing country (2.5% of total sample). Across countries, a high proportion of both domestically trained and foreign trained nurses from developing countries reported having performed tasks below their skill level during their last shift. After adjusting for nurses’ type of last shift worked, years of experience, and level of education, there remained a pronounced overall effect of being a foreign trained nurse from a developing country and an increase in reports of tasks below skill level performed during the last shift. Conclusion The findings suggest that there remains much room for improvement to optimize the use of nurses’ time and energy. Special attention should be given to raising the professional level of practice of foreign trained nurses from developing countries. Further research is needed to understand the influence of professional practice standards, skill levels of foreign trained nurses from developing countries and values attached to these tasks resulting from previous work experiences in their home countries. This will allow us to better understand the conditions under which foreign trained nurses from developing countries can optimally contribute to professional nursing practice in developed country contexts. / Dr McIntosh is a member of the the RN4CAST Consortium.

De plus en plus d'intérêt est porté au recrutement d'infirmières formées à l’étranger dans plusieurs pays, surtout dans le contexte actuel de pénurie de ressources. Toutefois, il n’existe peu d’écrits sur leur expérience d’intégration ainsi que les facteurs favorisant leur rétention. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'explorer les facteurs explicatifs de la réussite de l'intégration et de la rétention des infirmières diplômées hors Québec (DHQ) dans le système de santé québécois. Cette étude s'est concentrée sur trois processus clefs, à savoir le programme de formation d'appoint, ou programme d'Intégration à la profession infirmière au Québec CWA0B0 (volet 1), la période de probation en emploi (volet 2) et la rétention en emploi des infirmières DHQ (volet 3). Afin d'explorer ceux-ci, un devis mixte, alliant entretiens individuels, groupes de discussion et questionnaires auto-administrés a été adopté. Ultimement, cette thèse a permis l'avancement des connaissances quant à l'intégration des professionnels de la santé immigrants. En effet, cette étude a permis de comprendre le processus d'intégration, définir les sous-processus qu'il sous-entend et proposer un modèle conceptuel adapté aux transitions qui leur sont associées. De surcroit, cette étude est la première à s'intéresser aux facteurs explicatifs de la réussite au programme de transition de pratique et à examiner les effets du recrutement actif sur l'intégration et la rétention à court et moyen terme des infirmières immigrantes. Enfin, elle explore la question de l'importance des différences de valeurs dans la réussite du processus d'intégration et de la rétention, arrivant au constat que leur importance a été largement surévaluée dans les études antérieures. / A shortage of qualified nurses within Quebec has spurred the recruitment of foreign-educated nurses (IENs). Despite this increased interest, foreign-educated nurses face numerous obstacles during their integration into the workplace as evidence by the high attrition rates for both full and part-time hires throughout the Quebec healthcare system. The objective of this thesis is to explain the factors underlying the successful integration and retention of foreign-educated nurses in order to formulate recommendations for the many actors involved throughout the transitional period. The study concentrates on three key phases: 1) the bridging program (Intégration à la profession infirmière au Québec CWA0B0); 2) the probationary period following initial employment; and lastly 3) the employment retention of foreign-educated nurses. A combination of methods was leveraged to investigate the above issues, including individual interviews, group discussions, and self-administered questionnaire. The study first outlines the difficulties associated with the successful integration and retention of foreign-educated nurses in western countries followed those specific to the Quebec healthcare system. Finally, the work examines how socio-demographic characteristics, workplace characteristics, external environment, and psychosocial factors can influence the success of the integration process.