Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesHealthcare

ICN: Investing in the Future of the Global Nurse Workforce

Lea Sims of the Care Anywhere Podcast interviews Howard Catton from the International Council of Nurses about the global nursing workforce shortage. They discuss ICN's initiatives to improve working conditions and policy reforms, highlighting the need for international collaboration to enhance nursing roles in universal health coverage.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Healthcare teams put it to work with Executive Thought Leadership.

Promoted content from Care Anywhere on MarketScale.

By Lea Sims · · CapacityCareerCollaborationDevelopment
Share

Key takeaways

01

The global nursing workforce faces a projected shortage of 13 million by 2030.

02

ICN advocates for sustainable workforce initiatives and policy reforms.

03

Investing in nursing enhances patient outcomes and supports economic growth.

Free workspace

Turn your Healthcare expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

In the latest episode of Care Anywhere, host Lea Sims sits down with Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), to discuss the state of the global nursing workforce. As a respected figure in global nursing, Howard shares insights from ICN's recent findings, addressing a projected global shortage of 13 million nurses by 2030. This shortage, compounded by factors like the aging workforce, pandemic-driven burnout, and policy delays, underscores the urgent need for sustainable workforce solutions.

A projected global shortage of 13 million nurses by 2030 underscores the urgent need for sustainable workforce solutions.

Howard highlights ICN's work on the Sustain and Retain and Recover to Rebuild initiatives, which emphasize workforce investment, better working conditions, and policy reforms aimed at retention and professional development. He discusses the "COVID effect"—the exacerbated burnout and early retirement many nurses face—and emphasizes how ICN's advocacy supports the creation of "decent work" conditions globally, essential for retention and future workforce growth.

Lea and Howard also explore ICN's advocacy efforts to make nursing roles integral to universal health coverage and advanced practice. Howard underscores the economic value of investing in nursing, which benefits patient outcomes, public health, and broader economic growth. He calls for international collaboration to push governments towards sustainable healthcare workforce policies, reflecting on successes, such as the recent enactment of a Nursing Act in South Korea, which serves as a model of effective healthcare policy reform.

The economic value of investing in nursing benefits patient outcomes, public health, and broader economic growth.

This episode sheds light on ICN's comprehensive strategy to elevate nursing worldwide and the critical steps needed to secure a resilient, skilled workforce capable of meeting future global health challenges.

Follow Along for More Episodes of Care Anywhere!

Care Anywhere

Part of this channel

Care Anywhere

Global healthcare workforce challenges explored by TruMerit experts.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Healthcare starts with a company putting its clinicians, service-line leaders, and field engineers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Service-line buyers vet vendors quietly, and your clinicians become the proof they find while doing it.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

LS
Lea Sims
B2B Weekly

The week in Healthcare, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Healthcare: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Healthcare buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Healthcare expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your clinicians, service-line leaders, and field engineers into the articles, video, and social content Healthcare buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Healthcare Insights

Harbor Health to buy 27 Village Medical clinics in Greater Houston

Harbor Health to buy 27 Village Medical clinics in Greater Houston

Harbor Health's purchase of Village Medical clinics in Houston is expected to close at the end of 2026. The 27 clinics are the primary care home for Harbor members in four counties.

  • 01Harbor's $0 specialist benefit only applies when a Harbor clinician makes the referral. For Houston employers, the test is whether employees will use the 27 clinics as their first stop.

Oct 8, 2026

SCI recruits funeral sales as the career AI cannot replace

SCI recruits funeral sales as the career AI cannot replace

SCI's recruiting video positions funeral and cremation sales as a career resistant to automation by emphasizing the human trust required in end-of-life planning. The pitch frames the role as requiring both compassion and sales drive, targets people outside the industry, and leans on demographic demand from an aging population to argue for job stability.

  • 01More than 11,000 Americans turn 65 daily, SCI says demand will grow.
  • 02SCI seeks candidates with dual traits: compassion and empathy alongside sales-oriented drive and tenacity.
  • 03The role requires no prior industry experience; SCI provides training, coaching, and technology to prepare newcomers.

Oct 7, 2026

CURORI Details Readiness Framework for Planned Ten-City Expansion in China

CURORI, a China-based medical-aesthetic coordination platform founded in 2025, has outlined a readiness framework to expand its city coverage from five to ten Chinese destinations by the end of 2027. The expansion will be phased around provider and service readiness rather than destination count alone, with review areas including qualified doctors, licensed institutions, procedure categories, communication processes, and practical factors for international users.

  • 01CURORI plans to expand from five currently served cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou) to ten by December 31, 2027, with Chengdu, Xi'an, Wuhan, and two additional locations under evaluation.
  • 02The company's readiness framework requires operational checks across provider qualifications, licensed institutions, procedure availability, assessment requirements, communication processes, quotation clarity, appointment coordination, and follow-up arrangements before launching in new cities.
  • 03CURORI has a separate objective to help reduce client costs by approximately 10% by the end of 2026 through comparison, clearer quotation information, free initial coordination, and future incentives.

Oct 7, 2026

Explore More Healthcare Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Healthcare.

Browse Healthcare Hub

About the Experts

LS
Lea Sims

Host, Care Anywhere Podcast

Lea Sims is the host of the Care Anywhere Podcast, focusing on global health workforce development. She engages with experts and thought leaders to discuss evolving healthcare practices and workforce shortages. Her work emphasizes critical intersections shaping healthcare's future.

HC
Howard Catton

CEO

International Council of Nurses

Howard Catton is the CEO of the International Council of Nurses, involved in addressing global nursing workforce challenges. He advocates for workforce investment and policy reforms, emphasizing the economic value of nursing in healthcare systems.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Healthcare and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512