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Downward occupational mobility of baccalaureate‐prepared, internationally educated nurses to licensed practical nurses
Author(s) -
Salami B.,
Meherali S.,
Covell C. L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international nursing review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1466-7657
pISSN - 0020-8132
DOI - 10.1111/inr.12400
Subject(s) - deskilling , workforce , nursing , work (physics) , medicine , qualitative research , work abroad , exploratory research , medical education , political science , sociology , mechanical engineering , social science , anthropology , law , engineering
Aim This study explored the experience of baccalaureate‐prepared, internationally educated nurses who work as licensed practical nurses in Canada. Background/Introduction Internationally educated nurses experience several barriers to workforce integration on arrival in destination countries. Given these barriers, evidence suggests that internationally educated nurses sometimes experience downward occupational mobility and deskilling in destination countries. Some baccalaureate‐prepared, internationally educated nurses work as licensed practical nurses in destination countries, but there is minimal research on this population. Methods We used an exploratory transnational feminist qualitative research design. Following ethics approval, a total of 14 baccalaureate‐prepared, internationally educated nurses who currently or recently worked as practical nurses in Canada were interviewed for the study. Data were thematically analysed with the aide of NV ivo 11 data software. Results Our results revealed four key themes related to the experiences of this group of nurses: they migrate to Canada with hope for a better personal and professional life; they experience barriers to workforce integration as registered nurses and discover an easier path in the licensed practical nurse registration process; they experience deskilling and ambivalent skill recognition; and they feel dissatisfied as a licensed practical nurse in Canada. Discussion/Conclusion There is a need for policy to support the upward mobility of baccalaureate‐prepared, internationally educated nurses who work as practical nurses. Implications for Nursing Policy Implications for policymakers include the need to address the barriers to becoming registered nurses, including application processing times and lack of adequate access to educational programmes.