The Lived Experience of Nursing Students with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Backgrounds in Italy: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Introduction: In recent decades, Italy has been exposed to significant migrant flows resulting from political and economic instability in neighbouring countries. As a result, there has been an increased amount of cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) among nursing students. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of CALD nursing students as lived in the Italian nursing programmes. Method: A descriptive phenomenological method was used in 2017 with the involvement of a purposeful sample of 21 CALD nursing students in five Italian Bachelor of Nursing Science campuses. Data were collected using semistructured interviews; the subsequent content analysis was conducted by two independent researchers. Results: CALD nursing students reported having lived a transformative experience based on seven themes, from “living in the middle, between belonging and detachment” to “acquiring cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity.” Discussion: Dealing with linguistic and cultural differences can affected CALD students’ academic success, but also encourages them to develop awareness and cultural sensitivity by influencing their peers and the environment of the nursing programme. Therefore, having CALD students is a great value for nursing programmes. Nursing programmes should embody the values of cultural sensitivity and acceptance, including them as a nursing care value and as a concrete strategy to support CALD students. They should also develop strategies to promote the knowledge and responsibilities of nurses among CALD students and increase cultural sensitivity among faculty members at different levels.

Barriers to success for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) pre-registration nursing students in the UK

“…A lack of CALD role models or mentors also created barriers for student success (Sailsman, 2021). Finding balance between their native culture and the 'new' westernised culture to create cultural 'fusion' was a necessary process undertaken by international students (Randon et al 2020).…”

“…Conflicts between a CALD student's culture and the health care environment when on placements in clinical environments can prove challenging, particularly if an international student. These students frequently faced new and unfamiliar clinical environments, learning expectations (for example, communication with patients or supervisors), and care practices involving contact with a patient's body (Randon et al 2020). Professional interactions noted as problematic, included medical terminology and jargon (Yu et al 2022), particularly during handover of patients at the change of shift (Crawford & Candlin, 2013).…”

“…CALD students appreciated supervisors who were patient, offered help and support and this in turn directly led to an increased skill development and confidence, sense of acceptance and acknowledgement (Eden et al 2021;Johannessen et al 2022). If CALD students did struggle while on placement, they were less likely to openly share this as they feared misunderstandings resulting in negative evaluations by their supervisors (Randon et al 2020).…”

“…Studies have also highlighted communicating with patients as a challenge (Sailsman, 2021), including introductions, making small talk, and understanding patient requests. When interacting with patients, clinical instructors observed a lack of eye contact, low volume speech, and inappropriate voice intonation (Mikkonen et al 2016;Olson, 2012: Randon et al 2020. As verbal communication accounts for a substantial proportion of information exchange between healthcare professionals, inadequate oral language is particularly problematic in the clinical setting, increasing the risk for miscommunication-a major contributor to patient safety (Salamonson et al 2019).…”

Nurse educators' views of integrating culturally and linguistically diverse future registered nurses into healthcare settings: A qualitative descriptive study

“…Previous research regarding culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in countries such as Italy (Randon et al, 2020), Australia (Lin et al, 2021), Turkey (Kol et al, 2021) and Norway (Strøm et al, 2023) echo research findings from Finland relating to experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical learning environments (Mikkonen et al, 2017; Mikkonen et al, 2020) as well as the experiences of mentors and educators in supporting these students (Kaihlanen et al, 2021; Oikarainen et al, 2022). Research findings have shown that culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students experience both cultural and linguistic challenges that may hinder smooth clinical learning, adaptation to clinical environments and integration into healthcare environments (Ropponen et al, 2023).…”