Career Progression of Migrant Nurses in Ireland: Nurse Migration Project Policy Brief 5

The career progression of migrant nurses within the Irish health system was an issue raised in our discussions with key stakeholders. Concern was raised that few migrant nurses had achieved managerial grades in Ireland (CNM1 or CNM2) and that perhaps this stemmed from a reluctance to apply for senior posts. Evidence internationally suggests that migrant health workers frequently occupy less desirable posts [1,2] within the health systems of their host countries and that they struggle to achieve career progression [3]. A number of reasons have been cited for their stalled career progression and these include poor take-up of training [4], a lack of transparency in the management of promotions [3] and ‘discrimination in the quality of support given to candidates in the promotion process. . .whereby chosen candidates were pre-selected and coached whilst others were ignored or received inadequate or misleading support’ [3]. This policy brief, which presents findings on the skills and expertise of Ireland’s migrant nurses and offers an insight into their perception of promotions and career progression in Ireland.