Does the mutual recognition agreement on nursing services accelerate nurse migration in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?

Abstract

Aim: To clarify the situations of nursing education and activity, its affecting factors and the nursing educators’ views on nurse migration relating Mutual Recognition Agreement on Nursing Services in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Design: Descriptive qualitative research. Methods: The individual semi-structured interviews with 11 nursing educators, analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Nursing educators acknowledged that the change in nursing was mainly due to the creation and amendment of laws, acts and regulations regarding nursing and improvements in nursing education systems. Some of these improvements occurred by this mutual agreement. The conceptualization of the progress indicated an improvement in the quality of nursing. Nurse migration to the outside of Southeast Asian countries might be accelerated due to concurrent improvements in the quality of nursing. New trends among nurses working as caregivers in surrounding countries such as China, South Korea and Japan to deal with demographic ageing should be considered.