| Globalization has made it possible for leaders in the United States' (U.S.) healthcare industry to access global labor market to fill vacant nursing positions in their organizations. A significant number of registered nurses from other countries have been hired to work in the U.S. healthcare industry. Inherent in hiring these nurses is difference in culture and professional practices.;Registered nurses from Nigeria have been identified as a growing population within the nursing workforce in the U.S. healthcare system. For nurses who are born in other countries and licensed to practice nursing in the U.S. healthcare industry, there is need for them to become acculturated to the new environment when they move from their country of origin (Ea, 2008; Kawi & Xu, 2009; Kishi, Inoue, Crookes, & Shorten, 2014; Xu, Gutierrez, & Kim, 2008). While there is significant research on nurses from other cultures, there is limited research on the lived experiences of registered nurses from Nigeria who live and work in the U.S. healthcare industry. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Nigerian registered nurses working in the healthcare environment in Northern California.;The lived experiences of Nigerian registered nurses were gleaned using three research questions: (a) How do the Nigerian registered nurses describe their challenges working in the U.S. healthcare environment in Northern California? (b) How do the Nigerian registered nurses describe the affect of the challenges on their personal and professional lives? (c) What are the perceived attributes for success identified by the Nigerian registered nurses working in the healthcare environment in Northern California?;Purposeful sampling and snowball methods were used to identify 16 participants. Data were collected using 18 semi-structured interview questions, field-notes, a researcher journal, and a review of relevant artifacts. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, categorized, and coded for themes. Four themes---influences to become an registered nurse, developing professionally, transitions experienced, and responding to challenges---and four results---universality of fundamental core nursing clinical practice skills, grassroots effort in seeking access into the nursing profession, microaggressions, and limited support and need for resiliency---emerged from data analysis providing insights into and better understanding of the experiences of Nigerian registered nurses working in the healthcare environment in Northern California, leading to evidence-based conclusions and recommendations. |
