Migrant Crisis in Europe : Experiences of Nurses working in reception centers of Jyväskylä area

The increased number of migrants that have arrived in Europe since 2000, has put new demands on health care staff and little systematic research has been done on their views and experience. The aim was to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses working in receptions centres in Jyväskylä region, in Finland and the purpose was to provide information to support and develop the competences of nurses working in this field. The methodology was qualitative design with phenomenological approach. The data were obtained through four semi-structured individual interviews and one focus group and underwent thematic analysis. The experiences of the nurses while working in the reception centres were affected by their past experiences and level of professionalism, the refugees own background, their cooperation with other services and translators and the support they received. The cultural differences between the nurses and the client affected the clients’ adaptation to the health care system, their treatment and care as well as the psychology of the nurses while dealing with the challenges. The strengths of this study were that the information revealed partially filled a gap in research and can be used by all related organisations for improvement of their services. Furthermore, it gave the chance for the nurses’ experiences and opinions to be expressed, and for other nurses who are interested in working in this field to enrich their competences in order to offer high quality care to their clients