CE: Original Research: The Recruitment Experience of Foreign-Educated Health Professionals to the United States.

BACKGROUND: In 2007 AcademyHealth published a landmark report on the U.S.-based international nurse recruitment industry. This article provides an update to that report, describing the current state of recruitment of foreign-educated health professionals (FEHPs), in particular foreign-educated nurses (FENs), to the United States. Areas covered include the regulatory landscape, economic issues, recruitment industry changes, and current demographic and migration trends. PURPOSE: To learn more, CGFNS International, Inc., formerly known as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, and its Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices division conducted a study designed to elicit qualitative and quantitative data that would further illuminate the recruitment experience. METHODS: Researchers conducted a survey of FEHPs, recruited from those who used VisaScreen services between 2015 and 2017, designed to assess their recruitment experiences. They also conducted interviews with a smaller sample of FENs and recruiters to elicit greater detail. RESULTS: While there was evidence of progress relative to the ethical recruitment of FEHPs, issues such as high breach fees, inadequate orientation, and misalignment of expectations regarding work environment and location were also revealed. CONCLUSION: Given that FEHP migration to the United States is likely to continue its upward trajectory, better strategies to implement market-wide practices that ensure the safe, orderly, and ethical recruitment of FEHPs are needed.

The Role of Nurses in Advancing the Objectives of the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees.

Nurses and other health care professionals are in a unique position to shift the paradigm around migration debates. As caregivers and advocates for patients and other providers, nurses are crucial to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. This is especially true for migrants, including increasingly vulnerable refugee populations around the world. As negotiations surrounding the Global Compact for Migration and Global Compact on Refugees come to a close, nurses' roles are becoming more apparent. Nurses are facilitators of migration and can help ensure that the benefits of migration are maximized and the challenges are mitigated. Often, nurses are migrants themselves. Leveraging nurses' knowledge, experience, talents, and compassion is crucial for attaining the objectives of both the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. Nurses are large contributors to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The global nursing workforce has enormous potential to advance the achievement of these goals and objectives. In a world that appears to be increasingly xenophobic and hostile to migrants, nurses stand out as professionals who can change the narrative while providing compassionate care for the most vulnerable.

Stimulant medication in ADHD: what do children and their parents say?

OBJECTIVES: The prescription of stimulant medication to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder remains topical. Few reports target children's views about taking long-term medication. The aim was to assess child and parent views of stimulant medication. To compare attitudes to medication between two groups of children, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder taking stimulant medication and those with epilepsy taking anti-epileptic medication. METHOD: Forty children (n = 40) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on stimulant medication, and 40 children (n = 40) with epilepsy on anti-epileptic medication formed the study population. A semi-structured interview was carried out with each child and parent. Each parent completed the Dosage and Side-effects Questionnaire and the Attitude to Medication Questionnaire. Each child completed the Attitude to Medication Questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty per cent of children (n = 24) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 62.5% (n = 25) of those with epilepsy knew the name and purpose of their medication. Forty per cent (n = 16) of children in the stimulant group and 32.5% (n = 13) in the anti-epileptic group reported themselves as being non-compliant with medication. In both groups children reported positive aspects to taking medication. More children with epilepsy reported negative aspects. Only 32.5% (n = 13) of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder said that they would tell a friend about their medication, while 55% (n = 22) of the children with epilepsy indicated that they would do so. In both groups parents were better informed than their children were about the purpose of the medication. Parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder tended to be more positive about medication than their children and than the parents in the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of children and their parents express positive views about the stimulant medication. Children's views about medication compliance and side-effects should be sought, as they may differ significantly from those of their parents. Where parents have noticed positive changes, but children have not, this information can be used therapeutically to help children feel more in control of their behaviour.