The Benefits of Using International Nurse Staffing 

Updated August 2026

Nursing shortages have plagued hospitals and healthcare facilities for years, and we know this is a top pain point for our clients no matter the size of their healthcare facility. An aging population requires more medical staff to be on payroll, but with too few nursing graduates and nurses leaving the workforce, this has created a deficit in qualified nurses to provide great care. This shortage leads to burnout, excessive overtime, understaffed shifts, and a reliance on travelers, ultimately impacting patient care. 

An issue this big requires a big solution: international nurse staffing. Tapping into a global talent pool allows facilities to operate with proper nurse-to-patient ratios, alleviate burdens put on existing and staff, and ultimately provide better patient care.  

But you’ll need a good talent partner that can find this international nursing talent for you and ensure their success once they’re stateside. We’re a healthcare talent, consulting, and AI partner that saw this problem and developed a quality education and deployment pipeline to address the solutions. We’ve seen the hands-on benefits a successful international nursing solution can have: 

1. Addresses critical talent shortages 
2. Reduces a reliance on travel nurses 
3. Alleviates burnout and increases retention of quality nurses 

Let’s dig into each of these a little more. 

Why Healthcare Organizations Are Expanding Talent Pipelines

The healthcare workforce continues to face supply and demand challenges across many regions of the United States.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), national shortages of registered nurses are projected through 2038. HRSA projects an 8% RN shortage in 2028 and estimates a shortage of approximately 108,960 full-time equivalent registered nurses by 2038. Nonmetropolitan communities are expected to experience some of the largest workforce gaps.

These shortages affect organizations differently. Some health systems struggle to recruit specialized nurses. Others face challenges staffing rural facilities, supporting service-line growth, or replacing experienced clinicians who retire or leave the profession.

Many organizations are responding by expanding recruitment efforts beyond their local labor markets. International nursing programs provide access to experienced clinicians who can help health systems maintain patient coverage and support workforce continuity when local supply alone cannot meet hiring demand.

Hiring International Nurses Addresses Talent Shortages 

A nurse shortage exists for a multitude of reasons: 

• Less nurses are graduating from nursing school 
• There’s less staff to each nurses in school 
• Many nurses are leaving the workforce, whether that’s due to retirement or pursuing other careers 

This combination leads to a shortage of hundreds of thousands of nurses despite the millions that are already on the front lines providing the best care they can. 

Recruiting international candidates gives healthcare organizations access to a vast global talent pool to build a sustainable pipeline of nurses beyond the United States. Countries like the Philippines, India, South Korea, the Caribbean, and more have an abundance of qualified nursing graduates who can fill openings at U.S. hospitals and make an immediate impact. 

Reduces Reliance on Traveling Nurses 

Travel nurses have been a stop-gap solution over the last half-decade, helping many healthcare organizations provide care during critical times. While they provide the flexibility to fill gaps, this approach is expensive and does not build a sustainable workforce. 

Depending on position and location, travel nurses made more than double permanent nursing staff at the peak of demand from 2020 to 2023. 

In contrast, recruiting international nurses reduces long-term labor expenses. After initial hiring and relocation costs, international nurses receive standard compensation packages. They also provide workforce consistency. Rather than a rotating temporary workforce, hospitals can improve continuity of care and avoid the knowledge drain when a travel assignment ends.

Alleviates Burnout and Increases Retention 

Nursing shortages contribute significantly to burnout among U.S. nursing staff. When organizations are understaffed, nurses are forced to handle higher patient loads and pick up extra shifts, leading to mental and physical exhaustion. That then affects the quality of patient care. 

Research found high numbers of nurses reported feeling the following, either a few times a week or every day: 

• Emotionally drained (50.8%) 
• Used up (56.4%) 
• Fatigued (49.7%) 
• Burned out (45.1%) 
• At the end of the rope (29.4%) 

Augmenting staff with international nurses provides relief and a more well-rounded workforce. Higher nurse-to-patient ratios reduce the excessive workload that causes emotional, mental, and physical fatigue. Nurses can focus on providing quality care without becoming overwhelmed. 

Studies show the most effective way to support quality care and clinician well-being is to prevent chronic hospital nurse understaffing and stabilize the hospital nurse workforce. Ensuring nurses have the time off and support they need translates into better job satisfaction and better quality patient care. 

Technology is reshaping healthcare workforce planning

Healthcare organizations are also investing in technology to address workforce challenges. The American Hospital Association’s 2025 Health Care Workforce Scan identifies AI, virtual care, workforce innovation, and workforce development among the key priorities shaping healthcare organizations. Health systems are using technology to improve operational efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and support clinicians in delivering patient care.

Healthcare organizations are using technology in a variety of ways, including:

• Workforce forecasting and planning
• Scheduling optimization
• Administrative workflow automation
• Predictive staffing models
• Virtual care delivery
• Clinical decision support tools

These technologies are not replacing healthcare professionals. Instead, they are helping organizations reduce administrative burdens, improve workforce visibility, and enable clinicians to spend more time focused on patient care.

Build a Pipeline of Qualified Global Healthcare Talent 

In the face of debilitating personnel shortages, international nurse staffing offers a pipeline of qualified global talent, reduces overreliance on expensive travel nurses, and creates a more engaged, sustainable workforce. When nurses have proper support and achievable workloads, patients benefit. 

Jessica Calzaretta, the president of Insight Global Health, identifies the onboarding process as one of the most important factors in reducing employee turnover. “We found that [consultants] that had no real formal process attached to their onboarding experience actually backed out—meaning they never showed up for the job at an 80% rate. But those that actually went through the complete set of conversations and engagements that we had pre-designed and mapped out to really enable positive working experience for consultants actually only backed out at 8%,” she says. “With our customized solutions, we were actually able to deliver less than 8% back-outs.”

Our global recruitment network offers healthcare organizations a proven solution to talent challenges. Our process includes: 

• Identifying, vetting, and recruiting qualified nurse candidates from countries with a surplus of nursing graduates. 
• Properly educating nurses to work up to your facility’s standards. 
• Providing visa sponsorship and assisting with immigration requirements. 
• Matching credentialed nurses with openings at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare employers in need of staff. 
• Supporting their transition by arranging transportation, housing assistance, and getting them settled in their new community. 
• Ensuring a smooth transition by providing job orientation, cultural training, and setting expectations for the new nursing role. 

Whether you need to fill healthcare roles or launch AI-enabled workforce transformation initiatives, we work alongside you to develop practical solutions that support patient care and organizational goals.