Education, ProfessionalEMPOWERNCT07500688
Empowering Nursing Newcomers Program
An observational study of Education, Professional and Refugees, run by University Medical Center Groningen at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
In the Netherlands, more and more nurses with an international background, such as refugees and migrants, are starting to work in healthcare. Many of them already have a lot of knowledge and experience, but it is not always easy to quickly adapt to the Dutch healthcare system and a new language. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Education, Professional, Refugees, Nursing
- How many people
- 227 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 4 Mar 2022to 1 Mar 2031
- How long will I take part?
- 3 Years
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study population consists of newcomers to the Netherlands with a nursing background including refugees with residence status and other migrants. Participants have obtained a nursing qualification outside the Netherlands and enroll in a program designed to support their integration into the Dutch healthcare system.
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- diploma lower than Dutch MBO-4 level
- refugee or migrant with a background as medical doctor
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Netherlands1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University Medical Center Groningen
Groningen, Provincie Groningen, 9713 GZ
Arthur Wijsmuller, MD PhD, +31625646662, a.r.wijsmuller@umcg.nl
Petra Veltman, +31629442932, p.m.v.veltman@umcg.nl
About this study
Official title: Empowering Nursing Newcomers
In the Netherlands, more and more nurses with an international background, such as refugees and migrants, are starting to work in healthcare. Many of them already have a lot of knowledge and experience, but it is not always easy to quickly adapt to the Dutch healthcare system and a new language. That is why the programme "Empowering Newcomers Nurses" was developed.
This study aims to better understand how the programme works in practice. Participants and supervisors will be asked about their experiences to identify what works well and what could be improved. The costs and the benefits are also taken into account. The results will be used to further improve the programme.
Read more
It will also be assessed whether the work environment is inclusive and welcoming for participants. For example, this may involve (unconscious) microaggressions, exclusion, or negative comments, including those that may be discriminatory or racist. By making these experiences visible, it becomes easier to address them and make improvements. In addition, scientific articles will be published so that other hospitals can also learn from these insights.
Who can participate? Nursing newcomers who are already participating in the programme or who will start the programme soon are invited to take part in the study. Sometimes participants with another paramedical background also take part. For this study, it is expected that over a period of 9 years about 160-230 participants will take part in total, of whom 120-150 will be from the northern region of the Netherlands. This number is not strictly required, but it helps to better understand how the programme works, what works well, and where improvements may be possible. In this way, a more complete picture of the programme can be obtained.
Read the detailed description
The increasing shortage of nurses in the Netherlands significantly impacts healthcare capacity. Currently, half of all job vacancies in the Netherlands are in healthcare, trade, and business services. Reports indicate that nursing faces the largest labor market shortages among the healthcare professions, with 10,500 vacancies in 2021 and an expected 24,900 by 2031. Enhancing personnel inflow is one of the solutions. In that regard, the Dutch system does not appear to be well-equipped to support the integration of refugees and migrants certified as nurses in their country of origin, into healthcare positions. Recognition of qualifications is characterized by long delays and there is a lack of guidance. In practice, it also takes a considerable amount of time to reach a sufficient level of language proficiency, especially if individuals are unable to work and have limited exposure to the Dutch language. This slows down the speed at which the tests for obtaining a declaration of professional competence, required for Dutch healthcare licensure, are completed. Consequently, many qualified newcomers in healthcare are either underemployed or unemployed. In 2022, the UMCG assessed the interest among nursing newcomer in the Northern region to participate in a fast-track integration programme (Appendix 1). As sufficient interest was confirmed, such a programme was developed that includes a vocational language and intercultural communication course, after which participants begin working as assistant nurses, salaried as care assistants, while receiving guidance toward BIG registration before taking the examinations required for BIG registration. In this process, data were prospectively collected on whether the participating newcomers successfully completed the different phases of the program, the duration of these phases, and the stage of integration and employment situation from which they entered, and consent was obtained from participants to store these data. The programme was initially developed at the UMCG and grew into a multicentre initiative. In collaboration with Healthcare of the North ('Zorg voor het Noorden', ZvhN), a regional network across the three northern provinces, it has expanded to four non-academic hospitals. As this improvement process, which was not initially conceived as a research project, appeared to be successful, it was subsequently decided to analyze the outcomes in a scientific manner. The primary objective is to determine the proportion of participants who are either progressing as planned or successfully completed the program. In addition, a qualitative analysis and a societal business case is conducted to identify where the benefits lie, thereby providing guidance for sustainable implementation once philanthropic funding is phased out. Additionally, the study aims to analyze potential racial microaggression in the workplace.
- Conditions
- Education, Professional, Refugees, Nursing, Migrants, Cultural Diversity
- Keywords
- Cultural Diversity, Refugees, Credentialing, Nursing, Education, Professional, Transients and Migrants, Social Integration
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing newcomers | Fasttrack integration trajectory |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion participants progressing as planned or successfully completing the program
The proportion of participants who either progressed as planned, successfully completed the program by obtaining a (conditional) certificate of professional competence, or transitioned to employment as care assistants
Measured: From enrolment through programme completion (up to 36 months)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Societal business case
Societal business case: Conducted by Social Finance NL (SFNL), this analysis quantifies the programme's societal impact by mapping participant trajectories and expressing effects in financial terms where possible. Outcomes are calculated over a four-year period: two years during programme participation and two years following exit. Effects not attributable to the programme are accounted for using a zero alternative scenario, with assumptions on attribution, indexation, and discount rates applied.
Measured: Approximately 2-3, 6 and 9 years after study start.
Qualitative analysis
A qualitative analysis to assess the impact of the programme on participants and departments. The UMCG project coordinator invites participants to complete an anonymous survey developed jointly by Regioplan and UMCG (Appendix). The survey contains 46 multiple-choice questions and 35 open-ended questions assessing participant experiences, satisfaction, and perceived programme effectiveness.
Measured: Approximately 2-3, 6 and 9 years after study start.
The influence of WEF-identified skills on the need for additional guidance
Competencies of participants are assessed using a survey optimized during the early stages of the study. The survey evaluates participants across multiple domains identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the most in-demand skills by organizations: cognitive skills, self-efficacy, collaboration, ethics, physical skills, management skills, and technological skills. The outcome measure assesses the relationship between participants' competency levels and the need for additional guidance or support during the programme. An ordinal, Likert-type scale with three response options will be used. The scale ranges from 1 to 3, with clearly defined response categories. Data are collected systematically at predefined intervals through the REDCap system to ensure comprehensive coverage of all competency domains.
Measured: Approximately 5, 7 and 9 years after study start.
Racial microaggressions in the workplace assessed using the modified Racial Microaggressions Scale (RMAS)
This outcome measures the occurrence of potential unconscious and conscious racial microaggressions in the workplace and identifies opportunities to address and mitigate unconscious forms. Participants complete a modified Racial Microaggressions Scale, originally developed by Torres-Harding et al. and modified by King et al. The RMAS includes six subscales: invisibility, criminality, dysfunctional culture, sexualization, foreigner/not belonging, and environmental microaggressions. This instrument is widely used and validated for assessing microaggressions in workplace settings.
Measured: Approximately 5-6 years and 9 years after study start.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Mar 2026
- Study start4 Mar 2022
- Primary completion15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Mar 2031 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Education, ProfessionalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Other
- Enrolment
- 227 participants (estimated)
- Target duration
- 3 Years
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Medical Center Groningen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07500688
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 22944
- Acronym
- EMPOWER
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 30 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 30 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Empowering Nursing Newcomers
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07500688
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EMPOWER / 22944
- Conditions
- Education, Professional, Refugees, Nursing, Migrants, Cultural Diversity
- Keywords
- Cultural Diversity, Refugees, Credentialing, Nursing, Education, Professional, Transients and Migrants, Social Integration
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 227 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Medical Center GroningenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 4 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Mar 2031 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
In the Netherlands, more and more nurses with an international background, such as refugees and migrants, are starting to work in healthcare. Many of them already have a lot of knowledge and experience, but it is not always easy to quickly adapt to the Dutch healthcare system and a new language. That is why the programme "Empowering Newcomers Nurses" was developed.
This study aims to better understand how the programme works in practice. Participants and supervisors will be asked about their experiences to identify what works well and what could be improved. The costs and the benefits are also taken into account. The results will be used to further improve the programme.
It will also be assessed whether the work environment is inclusive and welcoming for participants. For example, this may involve (unconscious) microaggressions, exclusion, or negative comments, including those that may be discriminatory or racist. By making these experiences visible, it becomes easier to address them and make improvements. In addition, scientific articles will be published so that other hospitals can also learn from these insights.
Who can participate? Nursing newcomers who are already participating in the programme or who will start the programme soon are invited to take part in the study. Sometimes participants with another paramedical background also take part. For this study, it is expected that over a period of 9 years about 160-230 participants will take part in total, of whom 120-150 will be from the northern region of the Netherlands. This number is not strictly required, but it helps to better understand how the programme works, what works well, and where improvements may be possible. In this way, a more complete picture of the programme can be obtained.
Detailed description
The increasing shortage of nurses in the Netherlands significantly impacts healthcare capacity. Currently, half of all job vacancies in the Netherlands are in healthcare, trade, and business services. Reports indicate that nursing faces the largest labor market shortages among the healthcare professions, with 10,500 vacancies in 2021 and an expected 24,900 by 2031. Enhancing personnel inflow is one of the solutions. In that regard, the Dutch system does not appear to be well-equipped to support the integration of refugees and migrants certified as nurses in their country of origin, into healthcare positions. Recognition of qualifications is characterized by long delays and there is a lack of guidance. In practice, it also takes a considerable amount of time to reach a sufficient level of language proficiency, especially if individuals are unable to work and have limited exposure to the Dutch language. This slows down the speed at which the tests for obtaining a declaration of professional competence, required for Dutch healthcare licensure, are completed. Consequently, many qualified newcomers in healthcare are either underemployed or unemployed. In 2022, the UMCG assessed the interest among nursing newcomer in the Northern region to participate in a fast-track integration programme (Appendix 1). As sufficient interest was confirmed, such a programme was developed that includes a vocational language and intercultural communication course, after which participants begin working as assistant nurses, salaried as care assistants, while receiving guidance toward BIG registration before taking the examinations required for BIG registration. In this process, data were prospectively collected on whether the participating newcomers successfully completed the different phases of the program, the duration of these phases, and the stage of integration and employment situation from which they entered, and consent was obtained from participants to store these data. The programme was initially developed at the UMCG and grew into a multicentre initiative. In collaboration with Healthcare of the North ('Zorg voor het Noorden', ZvhN), a regional network across the three northern provinces, it has expanded to four non-academic hospitals. As this improvement process, which was not initially conceived as a research project, appeared to be successful, it was subsequently decided to analyze the outcomes in a scientific manner. The primary objective is to determine the proportion of participants who are either progressing as planned or successfully completed the program. In addition, a qualitative analysis and a societal business case is conducted to identify where the benefits lie, thereby providing guidance for sustainable implementation once philanthropic funding is phased out. Additionally, the study aims to analyze potential racial microaggression in the workplace.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Other
- Target follow-up
- 3 Years
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing newcomers | – | –Fasttrack integration trajectory |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population consists of newcomers to the Netherlands with a nursing background including refugees with residence status and other migrants. Participants have obtained a nursing qualification outside the Netherlands and enroll in a program designed to support their integration into the Dutch healthcare system.
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- diploma lower than Dutch MBO-4 level
- refugee or migrant with a background as medical doctor
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Proportion participants progressing as planned or successfully completing the program
Time frame: From enrolment through programme completion (up to 36 months)
The proportion of participants who either progressed as planned, successfully completed the program by obtaining a (conditional) certificate of professional competence, or transitioned to employment as care assistants
4 secondary outcomes
Societal business case
Time frame: Approximately 2-3, 6 and 9 years after study start.
Qualitative analysis
Time frame: Approximately 2-3, 6 and 9 years after study start.
The influence of WEF-identified skills on the need for additional guidance
Time frame: Approximately 5, 7 and 9 years after study start.
Racial microaggressions in the workplace assessed using the modified Racial Microaggressions Scale (RMAS)
Time frame: Approximately 5-6 years and 9 years after study start.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 30 Mar 2026.
- This link provides access to an online registration form for the Newcomers in Nursing program. The form allows newcomers living in the Netherlands who have a nursing background obtained abroad to express their interest in participating in the program.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Education, Professional and Refugees, run by University Medical Center Groningen at 1 site in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Arthur Wijsmuller, MD PhD (+31625646662, a.r.wijsmuller@umcg.nl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Proportion participants progressing as planned or successfully completing the program (time frame: From enrolment through programme completion (up to 36 months)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Mar 2026.