A literature review of research exploring the experiences of overseas nurses in the United Kingdom (2002–2017)
Article Category: Review article
Published Online: Mar 26, 2018
Page range: 17 - 30
Received: Jul 18, 2017
Accepted: Aug 25, 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/fon-2018-0003
Keywords
© 2018 Shanxi Medical Periodical Press
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Objectives
The goals of this work were to critically explore the challenges faced by overseas nurses during their working careers in the UK, to critically explore the available support for overseas nurses, and to make recommendations on how to minimize the effects of these challenges, as well as how to provide more support for overseas nurses during their working careers in the UK.
Methods
A systematic and comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore the said objectives. A search was conducted in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, and Academic Search Complete databases for relevant research. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select the included articles. A total of 8 studies including 6 qualitative studies, 1 quantitative study, and 1 mixed-method study were selected for literature review. The validity and reliability of these 8 studies were analyzed by using 2 appraisal tools.
Results
This review reveals 4 challenges, which overseas nurses experience in the past 15 years, including cultural differences, communication issues, unequal opportunities, and de-skilling. These challenges have a negative impact on overseas nurses’ emotions and career development. The formal and informal supports are revealed in this review. Various supports can help overseas nurses to work better.
Conclusions
This review reveals 4 challenges faced by overseas nurses, including cultural differences, communication issues, and unequal opportunities and de-skilling. These challenges naturally have a profound negative impact on the emotions and career development of overseas nurses. Additionally, the formal and informal support systems available to these nurses are reviewed. Various support systems can help overseas nurses work more effectively.