Internationally educated nurses' and medical graduates' experiences of getting a license and practicing in Sweden - a qualitative interview study

• Published in: BMC medical education Vol. 18; no. 1; p. 296
• Main Authors: Eriksson, Elisabet, Berg, Sören, Engström, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05-12-2018; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adult; Analysis; Attitude of Health Personnel; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Career Choice; Content analysis; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural competence; Culture Conflict; Employment; Employment interviews; Epidemiology; Equivalency Tests; Female; Foreign Medical Graduates - psychology; Foreign Medical Graduates - statistics & numerical data; Graduates; Health education; Health Services; Health-Promoting Work; Humans; Hälsofrämjande arbete; IEN; IMG; Intercultural competence; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Labor Force; Language; Language Skills; License; Licenses; Licensing, certification and accreditation; Licensure - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical Education; Medical students; Migration; Nurses; Nurses, International - psychology; Nurses, International - statistics & numerical data; Nursing; Organizational Culture; Physician Patient Relationship; Physicians; Practice; Professions; Qualifications; Qualitative Research; Semi Structured Interviews; Structured Interviews; Study abroad; Sweden; Work Experience; Workforce; Workplace; Sweden; England; Canada; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; License; Work experience; IMG; IEN; Intercultural competence
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-018-1399-4

The Swedish healthcare system has an increased need for nurses and physicians, and the number of International Educated Nurses (IENs) and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) seeking job opportunities and a license to practice in Sweden is rising. This study explored how IENs and IMGs describe their experience of getting a license to practice, their perceptions of working in Sweden and of how their intercultural competence is utilized.
A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 11 IENs and 11 IMGs. The interviews were conducted between 2015 and 2017. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Three main themes were identified: 'Getting a license - a different story,' 'The work is familiar, yet a lot is new,' 'Trying to master a new language.' The time to obtain a license to practice and finding a job was shorter for IENs and IMGs coming from European countries than for those from non-European countries. Some of the experiences of getting a license to practice and of entering a new workplace in another country were the same for nurses and physicians. In general, both IENs and IMGs felt welcomed and used their intercultural competence at work. Lack of language skills was regarded as the main problem for both professions, while workplace introduction was shorter for IMGs than for IENs.
Problems related to language and culture are often underestimated, therefore organizations and managers employing IENs and IMGs should provide longer workplace introduction to facilitate the acculturation process. More time-efficient language courses specifically adapted to IENs and IMGs could make the transition easier and shorten the time to obtain a license to practice for both professions.