Aim: This study aims to describe culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' experiences of how they transferred their competence to meet professional competence requirements in non-English speaking environment.
Background: Competence is one factor that affects culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' integration into the working environment. In this study, knowledge, skills, values and personal traits are included in the holistic competence concept.
Design: Qualitative.
Methods: A total of 24 culturally and linguistically diverse nurses involved in Finnish health care participated in this qualitative study. Data were collected through snowball sampling during the summer of 2021 using semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analysed using inductive content analysis.
Results: The data analysis revealed a total of five main categories describing culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' experiences: 1) before immigration; 2) competence requirements in the country of immigration; 3) assessment of competencies; 4) support factors; and 5) hardships.
Conclusion: Degree recognition, colleagues' tolerance towards culturally and linguistically diverse nurses at the workplace and continuous education focusing on local language could improve culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' integration into the working environment.
Keywords: Clinical competence; Cultural diversity; Language; Nurses.
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