Why is mentorship especially important for internationally trained healthcare professionals?

Internationally trained professionals often face unique credentialing, cultural, and networking challenges when entering the U.S. healthcare system. Mentors who have navigated similar journeys can provide targeted guidance, emotional support, and practical knowledge that formal onboarding programs may not cover.

How can healthcare organizations better support career migrants?

Organizations can establish structured mentorship programs, create inclusive hiring practices, and invest in credentialing support for internationally trained candidates. Partnering with community groups and professional associations focused on immigrant healthcare workers can also expand access to talent pipelines.

What does 'paying it forward' mean in the context of career migration in healthcare?

The concept refers to professionals who have successfully transitioned into U.S. healthcare careers choosing to mentor and advocate for others going through similar journeys. It reflects a community-driven approach where lived experience becomes a resource for the next generation of internationally trained professionals.

Paying it Forward: Empowering Career Migrat...

Paying it Forward: Empowering Career Migration Journeys

Healthcare leaders discuss how mentorship programs and personal immigration experiences can create meaningful career pathways for internationally trained professionals entering the U.S. healthcare workforce. The conversation highlights the role of paying it forward as a driving principle among those who have navigated career migration themselves.

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By Lea Sims · November 20, 2024, 4:06 AM UTCAiAmnCareerCgfns

Key takeaways

Mentorship from those with lived immigration experience is a key enabler for internationally trained healthcare professionals.

Personal career migration stories provide authentic guidance and reduce barriers for newcomers seeking U.S. roles.

Healthcare organizations benefit from actively supporting internationally trained talent as part of workforce development strategies.

On the latest episode of Care Anywhere: The Global Health Workforce Podcast, host Lea Sims sits down with Sinead Carbery, President of International Staffing Solutions, and Gillian Williams, MSN, BS, RN, Senior Director of Clinical Operations, both from AMN Healthcare. The episode delves into the complexities of global career mobility for healthcare professionals, with Sinead and Gillian sharing their personal experiences as internationally educated nurses who transitioned to the U.S. in search of opportunity.

Sinead, originally from Ireland, and Gillian, from Trinidad, describe the challenges they faced when moving their careers across borders. For Sinead, the journey was an adventure shaped by economic challenges in Ireland and the steep learning curve of adapting to new clinical practices in the U.S. Gillian's migration was driven by a lack of career mobility in Trinidad, where advancement opportunities were rare. Both emphasized the importance of adaptability, self-care, and building support networks to thrive in a new healthcare system.

Both emphasized the importance of adaptability, self-care, and building support networks to thrive in a new healthcare system.

Now leaders in international recruitment, Sinead and Gillian are passionate about helping others navigate similar journeys. Sinead, a CGFNS Daisy Award honoree for Ethical Recruitment, shared how AMN Healthcare prioritizes transparency and fairness, ensuring clinicians are supported both professionally and personally. She highlighted that ethical recruitment goes beyond job placement, extending to helping healthcare workers and their families adjust to life in a new country.

Ethical recruitment goes beyond job placement, extending to helping healthcare workers and their families adjust to life in a new country.

Reflecting on the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, Sinead and Gillian noted the increasing importance of technology, such as telehealth and AI, and the need for a growth mindset among clinicians. They emphasized that global career mobility is often about more than economics—it's about creating better opportunities for families and advancing professional aspirations.