Support program for internationally trained nurses starting work in the Netherlands

Empowering Nursing Newcomers

This project will see if a fast-track language and integration program helps refugee and migrant nurses start nursing jobs in the Netherlands.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 227 (estimated)
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University Medical Center Groningen (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Groningen, Provincie Groningen)
• Trial ID: NCT07500688 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

The program combines a vocational language course and intercultural communication training followed by supervised workplace placement to speed up integration of internationally trained nurses. This observational study collects feedback from participants and their supervisors using interviews and surveys and includes a cost–benefit look. It also documents workplace climate, including any experiences of exclusion, microaggressions, or discrimination. Results will be used to refine the program and inform regional workforce strategies.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are refugees or migrants with a nursing or paramedical background, at least an MBO-4–equivalent diploma, practical (preferably hospital) experience, residency in one of the three northern provinces, sufficient learning capacity for a university language course, and a successful interview.

Not a fit: Those with diplomas below the MBO-4 level, or medical doctors, or individuals without sufficient language/learning capacity or outside the northern provinces are unlikely to benefit from this fast-track program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help qualified migrant and refugee nurses gain the language skills, guidance, and workplace experience needed to enter the Dutch nursing workforce more quickly, reducing staffing shortages.

How similar studies have performed: Similar fast-track integration and language programs for internationally trained nurses have shown generally positive but context-dependent effects on employment and language outcomes, with limited evidence specific to the Dutch setting.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* refugee or migrant with a nursing background or other paramedical background and sufficient indications that the relevant hospital department is prepared to cooperate in a fast-track integration trajectory
* holding at least a diploma equivalent to the Dutch MBO-4 level
* having practical experience, preferably in a hospital setting
* residence in one of the three northern provinces
* sufficient learning capacity to participate in a language course at the University of Groningen's Language Centre based on the intake and, if available, a study skills test
* a successful application interview

Exclusion Criteria:

* diploma lower than Dutch MBO-4 level
* refugee or migrant with a background as medical doctor

Where this trial is running

Groningen, Provincie Groningen

• University Medical Center Groningen — Groningen, Provincie Groningen, Netherlands (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Arthur Wijsmuller, MD PhD

Conditions: Education, Professional, Refugees, Nursing, Migrants, Cultural Diversity, Credentialing, Transients and Migrants, Social Integration