This document summarizes a study on nursing as a route to international migration from Punjab, India. It finds that the number of private nursing institutes in Punjab has increased, transforming nursing education to focus on international qualifications and partnerships to facilitate overseas employment. Many nursing students choose the profession to work abroad due to high global demand for nurses. The top destinations are Canada, Australia, the US, and the UK. The study concludes that nursing has become a promising route for independent female migration from Punjab and a means to support migration of other family members.

1. Nursing Profession: A Promising Route to
International Migration
By:
Prof. Smita Bhutani
Amandeep Kaur (Research Fellow)
Department of Geography
Panjab University, Chandigarh

2. Organisation of Material:
 Introduction
 Methodology and Sources of Data
 Discussion and Results
 Nursing Education and its Privatization and Market Orientation in
Punjab
 Nursing Profession and International Migration from Punjab
 Major Findings

3. Introduction:
 Issue of health care workers in Global Context
 Qualified Nurse and their emigration and international scenario
 Indian nurses and their demand overseas

4. Methodology and Sources of Data:

5. Discussion and Results:
1. Nursing Education and its Privatization and Market
Orientation in Punjab
2. Nursing Profession and International Migration from
Punjab

6. Nursing Education and its Privatization and Market
Orientation in Punjab
 Increase in the number of :
a) Private and public nursing institutes
b) Private hospitals
c) Emigration agencies (IELTS training, CGFNS
coaching, NCLEX coaching )

7. 0
30
60
90
120
150
180
210
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Number
of
Nursing
Educational
Institutes
Year
Growth of Nursing Institutes in Punjab, 2004-2012
ANM
GNM
B.Sc.(Nursing)
P.B.B.Sc.(Nursing)
M.Sc.(Nursing)
Short term courses
Speciality course

8.  Every nook and corner of the country including newspapers are
filled with advertisements by emigration agencies .(Plate 1 & 2).
 Immigration agencies and travel agents are also guiding their
clients to adopt the nursing profession as a swift and sure way to a
permanent settlement abroad.
Plate 1: Source: Field work, 2016 Plate 2: Source: Advertisement

9. Transformation of nursing education
 Through provision of nursing education and training to work in
foreign destinations.
 Example: INSCOL Academy (international agreements and
partnerships)
 By conducting seminars and information sessions for giving an
international orientation to nursing students.
 Example: Royal Institute of Nursing, Batala
 By running programmes under joint partnerships
 Examples: Tarn-Taran International College of Nursing and Kular
Academy, Ludhiana

10. Limitation of transformation practices:
 Quality of nursing education is being deteriorated
 Such institutes are becoming huge profit earning
centres by alluring the aspirants with a promise to take
them to overseas destinations.
 Transformation practices are NOT being monitored
and regulated by any government authority.

11. Nursing Profession and
International Migration from
Punjab

12.  Respondents Demographic and Social Characteristics:
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
<20 20-25 25-30 >30
Number
of
Students
Surveyed
Age-Group (in years)
Punjab: Nursing Students
Surveyed, 2016
(Age-Group)
3%
9% 0%
88%
Punjab: Nursing Students
Surveyed, 2016
(By Religion)
Christian
Hindu
Muslim
Sikh

13. Choice of Nursing Profession:
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Demand
of
Nursing
Abroad
Self
Interest
On
the
Advise
of
Relatives/Friends/Parents
To
serve
humanity
Failure
in
taking
admission
in
other
medical
profession
Better
matrimonial
prospects
Others
Multiple
reasons
Percentage
of
Surveyed
Nursing
Students
Reasons

14. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
BSc. Nursing GNM Post Basic ANM MSc. Nursing
Number
of
Students
Surveyed
Classes
Punjab: Nursing Students Surveyed, 2016
(Class-wise)

15. Reasons for Moving Abroad:
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
For better standards
of living
For better
employment
opportunities
For better status To earn money Multiple Options Others
Percentage
of
Surveyed
Nursing
Students
Reasons

16. Choice of Foreign Destination:
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Canada Australia United States
of America
New Zealand United
Kingdom
Middle East Others Multiple
Percentage
of
Surveyed
Nursing
Students
Preferred Country/Countries for Emigration

17. Major Findings:
 Demand of Nursing Profession and Reshaping of Nursing
Profession
 Mushrooming of Private Nursing Institutes
 Transformation of Nursing Institutes
 Nursing profession has thus been seen in the state as a
promising route to move overseas.

18.  It may thus all be concluded that women in the state, who
earlier were a part of family migration or were being sponsored
by male members (preferably father, brother, husband), are
now choosing the nursing profession as a means to move
abroad independently with the ambition not only to settle there
permanently, but also to sponsor and support other family
members at a later stage.