Integration of internationally educated nurses to the UK: the lived experience of nurses with Nigerian heritage in the London region

This study explores the lived experiences of integration of internationally educated nurses (IENs) with Nigerian heritage into UK healthcare using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. Semi-structured interviews with ten participants using open-ended questions were used to collect data for this study.
The analysis of the data resulted in five master themes:
• Individual opinions, concepts and experiences of integration
• Challenges to integration
• Personal and social integration
• Career progression
• Obstacles and measures to thrive.
Theme one examines understanding integration and the reality of integration; theme two explores experiences of social integration and discrimination issues; theme three explores immigration issues, social relationships, language and cultural currency and pension issues. Theme four explores issues around education, mentorship/access to coaching, and individual characteristics. Lastly, theme five explores employers' practices and discriminatory practices.
The study contributes to the sparse literature on the lived experience of internationally educated nurses (IENs) on integration into UK healthcare. It offers insight and further understanding into the post-transition phases and the long-term integration of the internationally educated nurse (IEN) with Nigerian heritage into UK healthcare. The findings suggest that integration in the UK and UK healthcare services is a complex phenomenon shaped by immigration processes, employers' practices, social capital, discrimination, mentoring and personal characteristics such as education, resilience, motivation and personal values. The findings from the sample also suggest that most of the highly successful IENs of Nigerian heritage in UK healthcare tend to be those who had tertiary education in Nigeria before becoming registered nurses in the UK.
In light of the findings, the recommendations include further research on understanding the concept of nurse integration and how internationally educated nurses to thrive in UK and UK healthcare.