Expectations of international migration in nursing students in Mexico

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ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors associated with the expectations to migrate abroad among nursing students in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a non-random sample of 420 students. A logistic regression model was estimated. RESULTS: A total of 69% of the informants expressed their intention to move abroad, to look for employment (65%) and / or to continue their studies (26%). Of those, 50% would choose Canada as their destination, followed by Spain and the United States. The variables associated with migration expectations were: age, income, having relatives abroad, and perception of poor labor conditions and low wages in Mexico. CONCLUSIONS:Results are consistent with international literature. Low wages, poor labor conditions and the limited possibilities for professional development in Mexico are factors that contribute to generate migration expectations among nursing students. Additionally, optimistic perceptions about the job market and labor demand in more developed countries heighten expectations to migrate. Keywords: Students, nursing; intention; employment; emigration and immigration; Mexico The migration of nursing personnel from developing countries to industrialized countries is a well-known and documented phenomenon. In Mexico, the volume of nurses who manage to migrate to other countries to work in the field of their training is not known. However, there are indications that this phenomenon could increase quantitatively in an important way, given the demographic and epidemiological tendencies of the traditional recipient countries and the control that exists in them about the training of specialized health personnel. one In the international sphere, the migratory flow of nurses has responded to the need to correct the deficit of these personnel in industrialized countries. Among the main attraction factors, as with other population groups, the prevailing wages in the recipient countries stand out. two What is documented in the international literature offers an idea of the magnitude of the problem. In 2002, 85% of nurses born and trained in the Philippines were employed in the international market. 3 On the other hand, in 2003 43% of the nurses who worked in the United Kingdom had been trained in other countries. 4 In Latin America, nurses from Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru and Paraguay are attracted to the health market in the US, Canada, Italy and Spain. These countries stimulate this migratory flow through international recruitment
agencies that offer attractive work packages for personnel recently graduated from this career. The percentages of migration in this region are very varied. In 2005, it was reported that 2.3% of the total Argentine nursing staff migrated to another country, as well as staff from Brazil (2.8%), Guatemala (34%), Peru (15%) and Panama (46.8%). 5 In Mexico, records on the subject refer to migratory flows of nursing personnel since the early 1990s, with the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom as the main destinations. 6 Another study revealed that the State of Mexico and Chihuahua reported in 2003 the migration of 150 and 500 people with nursing studies respectively, in response to a shortage of personnel in Texas, California, Florida and New York. 7 Among the main implications of migration of nurses for provider countries are, on the one hand, the relationship between insufficient staff, the performance of the health system and the effect on the health of the population 8 and, on the other , the loss of public investment made in the training of nurses who may work in another country. The empirical evidence on the determinants of the decision to migrate in this staff indicates the relevance of income and incentives. In poor countries, the low remuneration and the lack of consistency between the salary, the assigned work functions and the academic degree achieved constitute a reason for dissatisfaction that contributes to generating the expectation of migrating. 9 The above characteristics are present in the Mexican health labor market and are also intertwined with aspects such as unemployment, underemployment and long working days. 10 Also, some studies conducted on the expectation of international migration in nursing personnel provide figures to measure this phenomenon. In Zimbabwe, 71% of respondents said they intend to migrate in the immediate future, projecting the United Kingdom (30%), South Africa (24%) and the rest to Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada. 11 Similar findings were disseminated from other research conducted in six countries in Africa with different professional categories, of which 49.8% had nursing as a profession. The resulting proportion of professionals who expressed the expectation to migrate was in the range of 26% in Uganda and 68% in Zimbabwe. 12 In view of the growing worldwide trend in the recruitment of nursing personnel, its repercussions on the health systems of the countries that are expelling them and the lack of knowledge about what is happening in Mexico on this subject, this study seeks to know and analyze some of the factors that explain the expectation of international migration of a group of nursing students in the last year of the degree in three public schools in the Federal District. The importance of knowing this expectation consists of the opportunity to have a diagnosis about the phenomenon in a particular context and to promote research on this at the national level based on the results obtained. Among its contributions, this study will enrich the analysis related to the strategic planning of health workers in Mexico and will contribute to justify, based on evidence, the formulation of policies for the retention and distribution of human resources at the regional, national and international. Material and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 420 students. The field work was carried out in mid-2007 in the Federal District. The unit of analysis was the
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Expectations of international migration in nursing students in Mexico

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