Is transition of internationally educated nurses a regulatory issue?

Based on a review of initial evidence, this article suggests that transition of internationally educated nurses (IENs) is a regulatory issue. Given the absence of global nurse regulation, the questionable credibility in many areas where national regulation does operate, and more important, the commercialization of nurse training in some countries to meet international demand, the quality and competence of IENs are likely to be varied in both quantitative and qualitative terms. This variability in quality and competence affect their ability and readiness to practice with direct implications for patient safety and quality of care. After description of a transition program as a proposed regulatory mechanism modeled after the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's Transition Initiatives, this article calls for comparative outcomes research on IENs and U.S. educated nurses to definitively determine if transition of IENs is a regulatory issue.