Determinants of intention to work abroad of college and specialist nursing graduates in Serbia

Background: In a country with a poor economy and limited job opportunities, the outmigration of students is not commonly perceived as a problem but rather is perceived as a solution to the high unemployment facing young health professionals. Objectives: Study objectives were to identify the prevalence of intention to work abroad of nursing graduates to point to the predictors of intention to work abroad and predictors of having a firm plan to work in a foreign country. Design: Descriptive study, a survey. Settings: College and specialist nursing schools, Serbia. Participants: 719 nursing graduates from the 2012/2013 school year. Methods: Voluntarily completed a questionnaire that was designed with regard to similar surveys administered in EU-candidate countries during the pre-accession period. Data were analysed with descriptive and multivariate regression analyses. Results: Almost 70% (501) of respondents indicated an intention to work abroad. Of the nurses, 13% already had established a firm plan to work abroad. Single graduates and those with a friend or relative living abroad were more likely to consider working abroad than were their counterparts (odds ratios were 23 and 1.7, respectively). The likelihood of considering working abroad decreased by 29% when the individuals' financial situation was improved. Factors associated with having a firm plan were previous professional experience in a foreign country, having someone abroad and financial improvement (5.4 times, 4.8 times and 2 times greater likelihood, respectively). Conclusions: The high prevalence of intention to work abroad suggests the need to place the issue of the outmigration of nursing graduates on the policy agenda. College and specialty nursing graduates and health technicians are prepared to work abroad in search of a better quality of life, better working conditions and higher salaries. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.