Migración internacional de enfermeras/os de América Latina 2010-2019

459 Migración internacional de enfermeras/os de América Latina 2010-2019 United States of America Robert Lucero Mary Lou de León Sainz US Registered Nurses in Context Registered Nurses (RNs) in the United States (US) play a significant role and have a great responsi- bility in understanding the complexity that comes with a heterogeneous population and ensuring the health and well-being of all, including immigrants. The US population was just over 335 million individuals as of September 9, 2023, which is approximately an 8% increase from 308 million in 2010 (US Department of Commerce, 2023a). Female made up 50.4% of the population in 2022. The US is the world’s third largest country in size and has nearly the third largest population. Today, the US is a multi-party system. The Democratic Party and the Republican party are the most power- ful. Yet other parties, such as the Reform, Libertarian, Socialist, Natural Law, Constitution, and Green Parties can promote candidates in a presidential election. The US is a nation of immigrants with people from all over the world, including Native Americans. Educational attainment In the US, as of 2022, 91.2% of adults 25 years of age and over completed high school or more (US Department of Commerce, 2023b). Overall, one-third (i.e., 37.9%), of adults 25 years and over com- pleted a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, completion varied between men and women with a greater proportion of women (39.1%) obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher over men (36.6%). Life expectancy In the US, life expectancy at birth in the US is around 79 years. This is two years lower overall than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 81 years. However, life expectancy for women is 81 years, compared to 76 for men in the US (OECD, 2023). Main sources of support and domestic living standard Self-employment or employment by local, state, or federal government or private industry repre- sents the largest source of income for individuals (Congressional Research Service, 2022). The fede- ral minimum wage for US employees is $7.25 USD per hour (US Government, 2023). The minimum wage for workers who receive tips is $2.13 USD per hour. The amount of tips plus the $2.13 USDmust reach at least $7.25 USD per hour. If not, the employer must pay to make up the minimum difference of $7.25 USD. Many states also have minimum wage laws, for example, Massachusetts $14.25 USD per hour (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2023).