As America faces a healthcare staffing crisis, the time is now for legislators to implement thoughtful legislation to rehabilitate the sector. Simply, the U.S. does not have enough nurses. Widespread burnout, waning resources, and stressful conditions have rendered a nationwide shortage of nurses. With an aging population and no robust pipeline of future healthcare professionals in sight, the situation is sure to become more dire.
Here, international nurses can play a critical role.
The recently introduced, bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act leverages the power of international healthcare professionals to account for critical shortages in labor plaguing the healthcare sector. The HWRA would re-capture forty thousand previously issued but unused immigrant visas and re-distribute them to qualified healthcare professionals seeking employment in the United States. These highly trained professionals are not here to displace American workers—they are here to help bridge the chasm between supply and demand for labor in healthcare.
Legislators should pass this common-sense bill now to immediately remedy and strengthen our healthcare system and protect American patients. Read more from the American Hospital Association here.