Migrant nurses in Swedish health care: an ethnological study of integration in working life

The overarching aim of this project is to explore working life integration through the study of nurses who were born and trained abroad and currently work in Swedish health care.

The project will explore their experiences of practicing their profession in Sweden, and in particular the ongoing interplay between (i) recognition of one’s competences by colleagues and patients, (ii) navigating the daily cultural translation of skills and knowledge to make use of them, and (iii) working on equal terms with colleagues.

This interplay is conditioned by the fact that migrant nurses belong to a group in high demand in the labor market, while simultaneously being categorized as a "migrant" with the social vulnerabilities this entails. Medicine is in many aspects transnational, but each local health care setting has its own characteristics.

The nursing profession requires good communication and social skills, which adds a crucial cultural dimension.

The project combines theoretical tools to analyze working life integration in relation to intersectional power structures and cultural processes.

The 3-year ethnological project with 3 researchers will be based on semi-structured working life history interviews with 45 migrant nurses.

Year 1 and 2: interviews, analysis, conference presentations, year 2 and 3 conference presentations, writing up, publishing.

The study contributes to research on working life integration in relation to social and ethnic hierarchies in professional practice.