Support for overseas qualified nurses: report of a study tour to the USA and the UK

Overseas qualified nurses (OQN) coming to Australia to work require well-organized transitional support into the Australian health care system. A study tour was undertaken to learn about the organisational support for overseas qualified nurses at several hospitals and universities in the United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK). The key areas examined during the tour were the recruitment processes for overseas qualified nurses and midwives; the personnel involved in their recruitment and support; and the transitional support provided by the recruiting organisations. The lessons learned from the study tour have provided insights and given direction to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of the overseas staff support program in the Hunter New England Local District (HNELHD).