Migration intention and its reasons among nursing students: A systematic review

Introduction: Nursing students are the future nursing workforce, as a crucial part of the healthcare system. Each year, thousands of nurses choose to migrate in search of better opportunities. Objective: This study aimed to review the studies on migration intention and its reasons among nursing students. Methods: This is a systematic review study. Relevant original observational and mixed-methods studies (quantitative part) targeting only nursing students (not including nurses) that were published in English from 2000 to 2023 and had available full-text were identified through databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE. The quality of the studies was assessed using the STROBE checklist. Results: The initial search yielded 108 studies, of which 14 were finally included. Most of the studies had been conducted in African (n= 5) and Asian (n= 4) countries. Most of them were cross-sectional (n=8), and used a convenience sampling method (n=6). The results indicated that over 60% of nursing students had an intention to migrate. They reported financial reasons as the main pull factor, while poor working conditions were reported as the main push factor. Conclusion: The findings highlight the high migration intention of nursing students. Health policymakers in less developed countries should address the challenges faced by nurses to effectively reduce their migration rate.