Unlock the potential of internationally educated nurse academics in the UK

Joel Wunimasim Daanyaya on why internationally educated nursing academics should be valued for the experience they can bring to UK nurse education. Joel Wunimasim Daanyaya is lecturer in nursing, University of Cumbria, and a doctoral researcher at Lancaster University. When I began teaching nursing students in the UK, I carried with me not just my NHS clinical experience but the lived experience of working as a nurse and nurse tutor from my home country, Ghana. As an internationally educated nurse (IEN) in the NHS and now a lecturer in nursing in a UK university, I have witnessed firsthand how IEN academics enrich nursing education in various UK universities. Yet, in academic corridors where decisions are made, our presence remains underrepresented, and our voices are often unheard. My doctoral research confirms what many of us know too well: the value we bring is real- but largely invisible.