An acute nursing shortage in Western nations continues to worsen as the population's age. Foreign-educated nurses emigrating to meet this demand are commanding premium salaries and priority visa considerations.
It is estimated there are 2.2 to 3 million working nurses averaging 47 years old in the U.S., for example. The annual vacancy rate is approximately 9 percent and projections anticipate a shortage of 800,000 nurses by 2050. Other estimates are more dramatic, perhaps reaching 1 million vacancies to be filled by 2012 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).