With staffing shortages affecting medical providers across the country, hospital systems like Sanford Health have looked far and wide for new nurses. This includes starting an internationally educated nursing (IEN) program after the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘It’s a very brave thing’
At Sanford Health in Bemidji, Minnesota, new recruits face culture shock, different rules and regulations, and yes, cold weather, which is why nurses like Ruth DiRose do their very best to welcome their new colleagues.
“My first degree was actually intercultural studies, so I pretty much begged my boss to help,” said DiRose, a registered nurse in the Sanford Bemidji intensive care unit. “I understand what it’s like to go to a different culture, but that was short term. Knowing that there’s going to be not just barriers, but different ways of understanding, different ways of living, different cultural context, I just wanted to take the opportunity to help.”
In 2023 alone, Sanford Health hired 140 IENs, with more than 90% of those nurses choosing to stay with the organization. That high retention rate shows not just that the IEN program is effective and proving to be worthwhile to these nurses, but also that they are doing a good job in their roles.
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It’s also why colleagues like DiRose play such an important role in making their new team members feel welcome.
“It’s a very brave thing to say, I’m going from what I’ve known my whole life, I’m going to completely leave it,” DiRose said. “We take care of patients who are different all the time. But when it comes to our colleagues, how do we show them that yes, you are valued?”
One nurse’s experience
Chitra Mashwa came to Bemidji from Nepal, where she was a nurse during the pandemic. Those experiences contributed to her desire to seek opportunities in the United States.
“I was working as an RN in Nepal. We had such a lack of resources,” Mashwa said. “I was working in one of the epicenter hospitals for COVID at that time, and I have seen people dying, not getting enough oxygen. That was something that was aching my heart. So I was like, no, this is not right for people. I need to learn something more.”
Mashwa left her entire life behind. In fact, her husband still lives in Nepal. So it’s not surprising that the move was jarring for her.
“I always had a dream to come overseas and work, but when I came to the U.S., I had very bad homesickness,” Mashwa said. “I used to cry every day.”
According to Mashwa, people like DiRose made her transition easier though. So did the other IENs she works with, who were going through many of the same things. And surprisingly to her, the patients helped too.
“Patients are very nice over here,” Mashwa said. “They are always warm and welcoming. At the beginning, I used to be very nervous and anxious, so whenever I used to see that smile on their face, it reduced my anxiety.”
Photo Courtesy of Ruth DiRose
Patients win, nurses win
Mashwa and DiRose became fast friends, sharing each other’s cultures, holidays and food. That camaraderie is something DiRose and the IEN program in Bemidji strive for.
“It’s not just about a job,” said DiRose. “If you want people to come and stay, you have to have a relationship. You have to have community.”
Mashwa has a three-year contract with Sanford, and even though she says she enjoys Bemidji, her ultimate goal has always been to bring her newfound knowledge and experience back to her home country.
“Lots of nurses want to go overseas, experience a different kind of nursing, and then go back to Nepal. Same with me,” Mashwa said. “I will not be able to bring all the equipment, but I will be able to bring all the knowledge that I have learned over here, and then I can implement all that knowledge over there.”
While Mashwa gains expertise, Sanford and the patients in Bemidji gain a driven, highly competent nurse. This is the result of a program that truly is a win-win for everyone involved.
Learn more
- Doctors from around the world care for Sanford patients
- Health workers learn English at local college
- ‘Global nurses’ revel in personal, professional growth
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Posted In Bemidji, Inclusion at Sanford, Nursing and Nursing Support, People & Culture
