Abstract
Recruitment of nurses by industrialized nations from developing countries has been common practice for
decades. Globalization, a crucial trend of the 21st century, raises the world’s awareness of the economic
and social disparities between nations. The direct impact on nurse emigration emphasizes the ethical,
economic, and social inequalities between source and destination countries. It is often more costeffective
for industrialized countries to recruit from developing countries; however, the depletion of source
country resources has created a global healthcare crisis. Destination countries are being challenged on the
ethical implications of aggressive recruitment and their lack of developing a sustainable self-sufficient
domestic workforce. Similarly, source countries are confronting the same challenges as they struggle to
fund and educate adequate numbers of nurses for domestic needs and emigrant replacement. This article
will review the ethical, economic, and social impacts of continued unrestricted international recruitment of
nurses and present a proposal for development of an international treaty addressing global sustainability.