Today's globalized economy creates opportunities for health professionals but corresponding challenges for countries facing significant shortages of these professionals. The uneven playing field between developed and developing countries hampers the latter in recruiting and retaining trained professionals to oversee and maintain their health systems. Given the salary differentials and variance in working conditions between developed and developing countries, developing countries may lack the pull factors to keep their nurses and doctors from emigrating. However, many developed countries have made significant investments to address this challenge.