Posted 03 August 2023 - 05:00
Posted 03 August 2023 - 05:00
News
International nurses tell of crying after shifts, trauma and racism
Report finds nurses trained overseas feel misunderstood and are treated unfairly, with a higher proportion leaving the register within five years than other staff groups
Report finds nurses trained overseas feel misunderstood and are treated unfairly, with a higher proportion leaving the register within five years than other staff groups
International nurses have reported crying at the end of shifts and feeling ‘traumatised’ after experiencing racism from colleagues and patients, a new report has revealed.
In its inaugural ‘Spotlight on Nursing and Midwifery’ report, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) also found internationally educated nurses felt their experience and skills were not understood or valued.
Overseas nurses ‘experiencing explicitly racist and derogatory comments’
Feedback from 86 overseas nursing and midwifery staff suggested they did not feel respected or treated the same as UK-educated colleagues and had experienced ‘poor culture’, gossiping and ‘being talked about behind their backs’.
The report states: ‘These attendees described crying at the end of shifts, losing weight, being resigned to “that just being how things are here”, feeling “traumatised”, feeling misled during the recruitment process and experiencing explicitly racist and derogatory comments.’
An internationally educated nurse working in Scotland said: ‘It is difficult to give the best of yourself if you are looked down upon or treated unfairly and differently from other people.’
Higher staff exodus among overseas nurses
The report, based on NMC data and the regulator’s work to support staff, found a higher proportion of overseas staff had left the register within the first five years than other staff groups.
Data from March 2018 to March 2023 show the proportion of internationally educated professionals leaving the register in their first five years increased from 7% to 37.6%.
In contrast, the proportion of UK-educated nurses leaving the register after five years in the same time period marginally increased from 6.9% to 7.5%.
Inadequate preceptorship experience reported by many
In other areas, the NMC found newly registered professionals felt the length of supervision and organisation of preceptorships were ‘inconsistent’ across employment settings. Only a minority of staff felt ‘highly satisfied’ with their preceptorship experience and these were more likely to be nurses or nursing associates than midwives.
Those who had not received a preceptorship or induction of at least a month were twice as likely to tell the NMC they intended to quit the profession in the next three years because they felt unable to practise safely.
- RELATED: RCNi preceptorship articles
RCN chief nursing officer Nicola Ranger said employers needed to do more to protect nurses at work: ‘It is completely unacceptable that any internationally educated nurse would face abuse, racism and discrimination, and all organisations need to work together to do more to protect staff.
‘It is very concerning that newly qualified nurses feel unsupported and pressurised to provide care above their skill level. Early career nurses require greater support, and we must listen to their concerns and develop initiatives to improve the situation.’
Issues faced by newly registered professionals
- Poor workplace culture – they told the NMC of bullying, hostility or being sidelined
- ‘Unrealistic expectations’ from managers and an unwillingness to speak up ‘due to their inexperience’
- Staffing levels and workloads – many described feeling shocked and overwhelmed by the demands of practice
- Many felt pressured to take on tasks they were unprepared for or inadequately supervised on
- A UK-educated nurse working in Wales said: ‘It’s very much a sink or swim thing. I was put in a situation, early on, where I was managing a ward without the skillset needed.’
Source: Spotlight on Nursing and Midwifery report
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