Overcoming Nursing Shock: Dina Paoloni on the International Nurse Experience

In this episode, Mariam is joined by Dina Paoloni, a pioneer in international nursing with over 22 years of global healthcare experience and the founder of Nurses Move. Dina shares her deeply personal journey into the nursing profession following the tragic loss of her mother, and how her move from Italy to the UK exposed her to the stark cultural and professional differences in nursing worldwide.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The Concept of "Nursing Shock": International nurses often experience a severe culture shock when they transition to new countries. This phenomenon, coined "nursing shock" by Dina, occurs because nurses must navigate vastly different professional regulations, scopes of practice, and levels of recognition compared to their native countries. The Need for a Global Identity: Unlike the medical profession, which has a centuries-old established global identity, nursing is a relatively young profession with only about 200 years of history.  Systemic Exploitation of International Nurses: Wealthy countries frequently use their monetary power to recruit highly skilled nurses from poorer nations. Unfortunately, these international nurses are often placed in entry-level or lower-banded roles with low pay. The Compounding Nursing Crisis: The healthcare system is facing a severe retention crisis, with undervalued and burned-out nurses leaving the profession entirely. This mass exodus places unprecedented pressure on the remaining staff, including junior doctors, and threatens the stability of the entire healthcare ecosystem. Education as Empowerment: To combat exploitation, it is crucial to educate international nurses about their rights, the new culture, and career pathways before and after they migrate.  BEST MOMENTS "I want help the nursing profession to be value as what it is. No less, no more, but what it is." "The medical profession, doctors had their own identity from centuries... This made possible for nurses because nursing is a profession that is kind of young, is 200 years of history." "I call nursing shock because it's really a culture shock in nursing profession." "They use their monetary power to bring nurses from abroad... So these nurses are not valued and kind of exploited in a way or another." "If we educate nurses abroad and in the country, we can help all nurses, native nurses and international nurses." HOST BIO Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.  If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/