Guidelines to facilitate adaptation in South African expatriate nurses working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and upon their return to South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of migration and adaptation of South African expatriate nurses who lived and worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and returned to South Africa. The study aims to develop guidelines to facilitate expatriate nurses’ migration and adaptation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and re-adjustment upon their return to South Africa. This study followed a descriptive phenomenological design with three Phases. Phase 1 explored and described the lived experiences of migration and adaptation of South African expatriate nurses who lived and worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and their adaptation and adjustment when they returned to South Africa. The target population included participants who worked and lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and returned to South Africa. Sampling included convenient, purposive and snowball techniques. Data collection was done with unstructured phenomenological interviews and analysed using Colaizzi’s method. Phase 2 developed guidelines to facilitate South African expatriate nurses’ migration and adaptation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and adaptation upon their return to South Africa. A Nominal Group Technique was used with seven experts (sampled through non-probability, convenient and purposive sampling from education institutions in South Africa). Guidelines were developed from the findings of Phase 1, a literature review and inductive and deductive reasoning. Phase 3A validated guidelines with seven experts sampled with non-probability, convenient and purposive techniques. Data was collected with an e-Delphi technique and an AGREE tool for validation. Phase 3B ensured stakeholder involvement with an e-Delphi technique. The target population included stakeholders from SANC and the international recruitment agency that was sampled through non-probability, convenient and purposive techniques. Consensus was reached on four final validated guidelines.