Life as a Migrant Nurse in the UK

Principal Investigator: Dr Emee Vida Estacio

Funded by Richard Benjamin Trust

Nursing recruitment and retention is an ongoing challenge for the NHS.  This challenge is expected to increase with the ageing of the UK population leading to growing demands for healthcare. While there is evidence of an increasing trend in the inflow of internationally recruited nurses in the earlier years of this decade, overseas recruitment has fallen dramatically in recent years.  There is a need to clarify the reasons for this decline considering factors such as changing workload, overall job satisfaction and the everyday working and living experiences of migrant nurses.

This research aims to explore the experiences of migrant nurses working in the UK to identify emerging issues and to inform potential action plans. Twelve migrant nurses were recruited from University Hospital North Staffordshire and Stafford Hospital.  They were asked to keep a diary over a period of six weeks and then were later invited to a World Cafe session to discuss their diary entries.  Some of the themes raised were as follows:  

Theme

Description

 

My first steps in the UK  

This theme highlights the nurses’ first impressions of being in the UK. Many experienced homesickness and were shocked with the weather.  There were also mixed comments about the adaptation course – some found it useful while others felt that it was unnecessary.  However most felt excited and rather fortunate for being able to work in the UK.  For them, it was a place where they can earn money to help their families, gain new experiences and progress professionally as a nurse.

 

Feelings, nothing more than feelings  

Reflecting upon their experiences, all participants felt that living and working in the UK has its ups and downs.  While some felt fulfilled, lucky, accepted and appreciated for being in the UK, there were times when they also felt scared, inferior, doubtful, tired and helpless. 

 

Working in the NHS  

Participants voiced some of their frustrations of working in the NHS.  This included having to deal with too much paperwork, under-staffing and other structural issues which impinge upon their ability to provide good quality care to their patients.

 

Colleagues, its a mixed bag  

Participants also reflected on their working relationship with their colleagues. On the one hand, participants felt that some may have a welcoming and supportive attitude towards migrant nurses; while others tend to segregate themselves and could behave unprofessionally towards them. 

 

The R word  

Although most accounts relating to racism were either based on previous experiences from other employers in the UK or from the experiences of their fellow migrant nurses, institutional racism has surprisingly been a major issue reflected in both diaries and the World Café.  These accounts stemmed from acts of bullying, unfair treatment and having their competencies downgraded simply on the basis of their migrant status. Barriers to professional progression were also reported where participants felt that they weren’t given the same opportunities as others for further training or promotion.  Furthermore, racist accounts from patients were also reported.  Most participants, however, felt that they simply had to cope with these issues and try to defy racism as they arise. 

 

Whos in charge here  

Management issues were also raised by the participants.  Participants said that there were times when they felt that they are being let down by management because of the lack of organization in some wards.  However, there were participants who praised some of their managers who showed appreciation and concern for other nurses.  They felt that managers need to listen more and act upon issues raised by frontline staff.

 

Lost in translation  

Language was another theme that emerged from the analysis.  Although nurses who come to work in the UK need to be proficient in English, some may grapple with differences in terminologies used, accents, slang words and British humour.

 

Its a balancing act  

Participants felt that working in the UK is a balancing act.  Work-life balance is something that they felt they struggle with, especially for those with very young children.  Having a strong social support network (e.g. friends and family) and treating the UK as their ‘second home’ helps them to cope with these stresses.  Positive thinking and religion also help them to keep a positive outlook in life.

The participating nurses from this research felt that establishing a good social support network between migrant nurses can help them to cope better with the challenges of living and working in a foreign land.  A small migrant nurses support group is currently being organised by the participants using the remaining funds for this project.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Emee Vida Estacio
Research Institute for Social Sciences
Keele University
ST5 5BG

e.v.g.estacio@keele.ac.uk