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Milestones in the journey : The story of refugees becoming registered nurses in Australia
Ng Chok, Harrison Lewis, Peter Mannix, Judy Dickson, Cathy Wilkes, Lesley
Ng Chok, Harrison
Lewis, Peter
Mannix, Judy
Dickson, Cathy
Wilkes, Lesley
Abstract
Aims
To explore the experiences of refugees who became registered nurses after arriving to Australia.
Design
Qualitative description using a naturalistic inquiry framework.
Methods
Between February 2018 and September 2019, the lead author conducted semi-structured interviews with employed registered nurses (RNs) that are former refugees and English-speaking. Interviews were 45–90 min' duration and digitally recorded. Participants provided voluntary informed consent and were sent questions beforehand. Data were collected and coded into themes. Rigor was achieved with multiple transcript readings by the research team to confirm common themes.
Results
Twelve participants discussed their story. Three major themes were identified: (1) Milestone of being a refugee; (2) Milestone of resettling in Australia; (3) Milestone of becoming a RN.
Conclusion
Each participant's story started at a place of disadvantage. They progressed successfully through the three milestones; despite living with traumatic experiences, they learned new skills, developed English literacy, became a RN and juggled the demands of life. This paper highlights the poorly understood pockets of the current Australian RN workforce.
Impact statement
The nuanced stories of RNs with refugee backgrounds in this study move beyond trauma and struggle and demonstrate the important journey this particular group of health professionals undertake. Increasing the contextual knowledge of the complex lives of former refugees turned nursing professionals will raise public awareness of the diversity of life experiences of RNs working in Australia.
Keywords
nurse education, qualitative design, refugee, registered nurs, resettlement
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Book
Volume
77
Issue
11
Page Range
4525-4536
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled