- Title
- An examination of how overseas qualified nurses and Australian nurses work together in the Australian context
- Creator
- Ohr, Se Ok
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Increasingly, cultural diversity is a feature of the Australian nursing workforce due to globalisation and global movement of the workforce. Whilst much of this diversity has resulted from general migration over generations, a significant proportion results from nurses who migrate after qualifying as a nurse in another country. The participation of these nurses in the nursing workforce has the potential to enrich workforce culture and practice. However, cultural diversity in the workplace has also been reported as challenging for both incoming and receiving nurses; this calls for more research into the context, culture and experiences in multicultural workplaces. This study examined how overseas qualified nurses (OQNs) and Australian nurses (ANs) work together in the Australian context. Specifically, it explored the experiences of OQNs and ANs working together in a Local Health District (LHD). Unlike previous studies, this study aimed to examine and give voice to both OQNs and ANs using Critical Social Theory as the theoretical framework and Interpretive Description as the methodological framework. The study enabled articulation of the nurses’ perspectives of factors contributing to their experiences, explored the practices and underlying mindsets that both groups of nurses employed while working together, and identified strategies or resources that helped to overcome some of the difficulties they experience in their working environment. The experiences of these nurses were compared with the expectations for and intentions of RNs in Australia formally outlined by professional, organisational policies and regulations. Findings suggest that the experiences of the participants were personally, professionally, organisationally and socio-culturally constructed. All nurses were committed to providing safe and quality nursing care to their patients and to a collaborative working relationship with each other. However, the extent to which they perceived they were ‘working together’ in a novel situation was questionable in that they were not equipped to work with ‘differences’ and ‘the unknown’. They reported having difficulty in building optimal working relationships due to experiences where exclusion, bullying, distrust, disrespect, racism and lack of organisational and supportive leadership were evident in their practice environment. Therefore, there was professional and cognitive dissonance, and power differentials in their working relationships. The study identified that facilitative influences for them to work together well included how well the nurses themselves managed any dissonance, power differential and differences through attempts at collegial engagement and high levels of civility as well as through strategic organisational support. The study assists to build on knowledge of the topic and to guide the development of strategies to enhance cross-cultural experiences of both OQNs and ANs and provide suggestions for reciprocal benefits. Further, in addressing this area of ongoing concern in health care settings, the findings also inform workforce policy and future research and educational strategies related to OQNs and ANs in the workplace and for the Australian nursing profession.
- Subject
- overseas qualified nurses; Australian nurses; cultural diversity; experience; cross-cultural working; acculturation
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1332738
- Identifier
- uon:26925
- Rights
- Copyright 2016 Se Ok Ohr
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Hits: 1921
- Visitors: 1556
- Downloads: 732
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 435 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |