Jamaican nurses' perception of their work experiences with foreign nurses

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perception of Jamaican nurses regarding their work experiences with nurses from Cuba, Nigeria and Ghana. METHOD: A 24-item pretested self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 30 Registered Nurses working with foreign nurses on five selected wards at Kingston Public Hospital. Twenty-three nurses (77 percent) completed the questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS Version 6.13. RESULTS: In terms of clinical performance, ability to communicate with patients and staff and pleasant work attitude, the nurse rated those from Ghana highest, followed by Nigerians and Cubans (p<0.001). The majority (91 percent) of the respondents were concerned about the cost of recruiting foreign nurses, some of whom they perceived to be lazy and incompetent. They felt that Jamaican nurses should be treated better by improving salaries and benefits. Sixty-one per cent suggested that the benefits to foreign nurses surpassed their own. CONCLUSION: Nurses from Ghana were the most popular with Jamaican nurses. The cost of improving salaries and benefits to retain Jamaican nurses should be weighed against the cost of recruiting foreign nurses to work in Jamaica.(Au)