Literature Review

Nurses seeking work in U.S. on the rise despite visa pauseModern HealthcareDecember 6, 2023A record number of occupational visa certificates were issued this year to nurses and other healthcare workers by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. The nonprofit, which helps foreign-educated nurses work in other countries by verifying their credentials for federal and state agencies, said it issued almost 27,000 visa certificates this year—85% of which were for registered nurses—twice as many as in 2022. The number of certificates has quadrupled since 2017. The commission’s report also found that 78% of those who applied for a visa certificate intended to apply for a permanent green card, an increase from 64% in 2022.

Labor challenges slowing nonprofit hospital recovery—FitchModern HealthcareDecember 5, 2023Nonprofit hospitals and health systems are recovering financially but more slowly than expected, according to a report Fitch Ratings published Tuesday. Much of the sector has broken even in operations on a month-to-month basis in 2023, but it happened later in the year and to a lesser extent than analysts anticipated, the credit ratings agency reported. Labor costs, although softening, remain the top pressure point. Fitch is keeping the nonprofit hospital sector in the “deteriorating” category. Downgrades have outpaced upgrades by about 3-to-1 so far in 2023. Negative rating outlooks grew from 8.9% in 2022 to 10.7% this year. ... In 2024, operational success will largely hinge on how well hospitals recruit and retain employees, Fitch concluded.