Effect of Nurse Immigration on Employment and Earnings of U.S. Nurses

Columbia Univ New York Morningside, New York NY

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the proposed research is to study the effect of immigration of foreign- trained registered nurses (RNs) on the employment and wages of domestic nurses. This research goes to the heart of the debate over how immigration affects the welfare of domestic workers, and is directly related to the mission of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The contribution of the proposed research is to focus on a narrow occupation and to exploit the significant changes in immigration of nurses in the past two decades caused by changes in immigration policy related to nurses. We will use a multivariate regression framework based on appropriate statistical methods and individual-level data from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses for 1984-2004 and from the Current Population Survey, monthly outgoing rotation data for 1987-2005. The planned study will provide evidence on the processes of immigration and how immigration affects the economic well-being of nurses, one of the largest and most important segments of health care providers. Further, the proposed research will have significant relevance to questions about the future supply of domestic nurses (e.g. entry to nursing schools). The research will also bear on questions of the quality of patient care, as changes in the economic welfare of nurses will likely alter the composition, and therefore the quality, of nurses. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The proposed research will have significant relevance to questions about the future supply of domestic nurses (e.g. entry to nursing schools). The research will also bear on questions of the quality of patient care, as changes in the economic welfare of nurses will likely alter the composition, and therefore the quality, of nurses. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]