Organizational socialization of international nurses in the New York metropolitan area

Foreign educated nurses' work experiences and patient safety-A systematic review of qualitative studies

AIM

The aim of this systematic review was to identify the evidence contributed by qualitative research studies of foreign educated nurses' work experiences in a new country and to link the results to patient safety competencies.

DESIGN

A systematic literature review of qualitative studies.

METHODS

Electronic searches in the Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Cinahl databases and additional manual searches in five scientific journals. A content analysis of 17 qualitative articles was conducted.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed one main theme: "Being an outsider at work" and two themes: "Cultural dissonance and Unfamiliar nursing practice. Two sub-themes emerged from the first theme; Loneliness and discrimination" and "Communication barriers". The second theme was based on the following two sub-themes: "Handling work-related stress" and "Role uncertainty and difficulties in decision-making". A better prepared and longer orientation period with continual clinical supervision including systematic reflection on practice experiences is needed to support foreign educated nurses in the transition period and strengthen their Patient Safety Competencies. Nurse Managers have an important role in ensuring the inclusion of foreign educated nurses and providing desirable working conditions.

The attitudes of Turkish nurses towards the employment of internationally educated nurses

AIM

To define the attitudes of nurses working in public hospitals towards the employment of internationally educated nurses.

BACKGROUND

The employment of internationally educated nurses is expected to be an important strategy for solving the nursing shortage in Turkey and many other countries.

METHODS

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses working in seven public university hospitals in different geographical regions of Turkey in September 2015. The data were collected from 1061 nurses in these hospitals using a self-report questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

The participants generally did not have positive attitudes towards the employment of internationally educated nurses citing the possibility of experiencing cultural and professional difficulties. They also indicated that the employment of internationally educated nurses is not a real solution for the nursing shortage unless working conditions for nurses are improved. However, younger nurses have more positive attitudes towards employment of internationally educated nurses than older ones.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

Defining the attitudes of the nurses working in clinical fields towards the employment of internationally educated nurses is an important issue, because it provides data for reviewing the existing policies and evaluating the possible issues that require attention during implementation of these policies. Policymakers may focus on both creating better working environment conditions and helping both the native and internationally educated nurses during the recruiting process.

The Impact of Organizational Commitment and Nursing Organizational Culture on Job Satisfaction in Korean American Registered Nurses

PURPOSE

This study aimed to describe the perceived level of organizational commitment and organizational culture of Korean American Registered Nurses (KARNs) and to investigate predictors of job satisfaction.

DESIGN

A total of 163 KARNs working in U.S. hospitals responded to a Web survey. Descriptive analysis, t test, analysis of variance, and stepwise regressions were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

KARNs reported moderate levels of job satisfaction (3.5 ± 0.58). Job satisfaction was positively correlated with both organizational commitment ( r = .85, p < .001) and culture ( r = .66, p < .001). KARNs who were aged ≥50, married, hospital-employed, had longer nursing experience, and experienced turnover at least once were more likely to report higher job satisfaction compared with other nurses. Organizational commitment, culture, marital status, and workplace were significant predictors of and explained 76.8% of the variance in job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence to help nursing managers and health policy makers develop educational programs aimed at enhancing job satisfaction and retention of KARNs.

Challenges faced by international nurses when migrating: an integrative literature review

AIM

Results from this literature review were used to identify the challenges faced by international nurses in their host countries following migration.

BACKGROUND

The increasing strain of nursing shortages in the healthcare system has led to the recruitment of international nurses among many countries. However, following migration, international nurses are faced with challenges that may result in poor integration with their host countries.

METHODS

Using Cooper's five stages for integrative research reviews, a literature search was conducted across seven databases using a PRISMA search strategy. Additional manual searches were also conducted on the end-references of the retrieved articles. The authors then independently reviewed the selected articles using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal form to extract and generate the themes for the review.

FINDINGS

Twenty-four articles were selected for the review. The themes generated included: (i) difficulty orientating; (ii) a longing for what is missing; (iii) professional development and devaluing; (iv) communication barriers; (v) discrimination and marginalization; (vi) personal and professional differences; and (vii) a meaningful support system.

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE

By identifying the challenges faced by international nurses, interventions that ensure equal treatment (e.g. multifaceted transition programmes and culturally sensitive 'buddy' systems) can be implemented to help international nurses adapt to their new environments. Adequate communication can be achieved by encouraging international nurses to speak English and learn the colloquial language and non-verbal behaviours used by native nurses.

CONCLUSION

With good integration international nurses may be able to reach their full career potential as professional nurses in their host countries. The adaptation process is a dynamic process that requires effort from both international and native nurses. Thus, any strategies that are developed and implemented must be multifaceted.

Turnover and Associated Factors in Asian Foreign-Educated Nurses

OBJECTIVES

The purposes of this study are to (1) describe the gap between expected and perceived organizational experiences among Asian foreign-educated nurses (FENs) in the United States and (2) to examine factors associated with turnover in their 1st year of employment.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about factors associated with turnover among Asian FENs.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design with a convenience sampling was conducted. Subjects (n = 201) responded either via Web-based or mail survey. A series of simple and multivariable logistic regressions were used.

RESULTS

Expectations of FENs before organizational entry were significantly higher than their experiences. The FENs who reported less organizational responsibility than expected were more likely to leave their 1st employment to move to another organization or unit.

CONCLUSION

This study may contribute to our understanding of the potential factors that assist or interfere with the organization's administrative retention plan for Asian FENs.

Occupational stress and adaptation of immigrant nurses from the Philippines

Immigrant nurses face multiple challenges that create vulnerability to stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the stresses and work experiences of Filipino immigrant nurses. Specific aims were to identify the perceived sources of work-related and non-work-related stress and describe the factors that influence stress. A cross-sectional qualitative research design was used to gain a holistic understanding of the participants’ experiences. Twenty women, 28–48 years old, working as registered nurses in the Chicago metropolitan area were interviewed. The findings showed that participants faced resettlement demands because of unexpected social and living environments. They also experienced communication problems, discrimination and alienation, which interacted with and intensified work-related stressors. In addition, challenges arose from encountering cultural differences. Overall, this study illustrated that stress is dynamic, multidimensional and highly influenced by culture. These findings increase awareness of the types of stressors encountered by immigrant health care providers and urge health care administrators to develop and implement programmes to improve their quality of life. Recommendations for future studies include focusing on the outcomes of cumulative stress among immigrant health care providers.