May 9, 2024 - Anthony Ndirangu & Kobie Boateng (UK's International Nurse Well-being Council)

Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 9, 2024) – UK HealthCare employs dozens of nurses from around the world, advancing care for a diverse Commonwealth while also providing an opportunity for international nurses to advance and continue their careers in a cutting-edge health care environment.

But packing up your life to work at a hospital on the other side of the globe is never easy. UK’s International Nurse Well-being Council offers those nurses a chance to be heard and help tackle challenges associated with living and working in a new country. The findings from the council’s monthly meetings are shared with enterprise leadership to ensure UK HealthCare stays a great place to work and patients receive the best care possible.

The council includes nurses who have been in the U.S. for years and many who are brand new. That mix of experience can help international nurses not just learn to adjust to a new place but also offer a space to be listened to and supported. The council also helps build a cross-cultural community among nurses offering events and potlucks where everyone can share a little bit of their culture.

With International Nurses Day on Sunday, check out this episode of “Behind the Blue” where UK HealthCare nurses Kobie Boateng and Anthony Ndirangu explain the challenges international nurses face and how the International Nurse Well-being Council can assist.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.