The Lived Experiences of Indonesian Nurses Who Worked as Care Workers in Taiwan
Nursalam NURSALAM1* • Ching-Min CHEN2 • Ferry EFENDI3 • Eka Misbahatul Mar’ah HAS4 • Laily HIDAYATI5 • Setho HADISUYATMANA6
Abstract
Background: Despite the large number of Indonesian nurses currentlyworkingasmigrantcareworkersinTaiwan,nostudies intheliteraturehavebeenfoundthatexplorethisphenomenon orassesstheworkingsituationofIndonesiannursesworkingin care facilities in Taiwan. Purpose:ThisstudyaimedtoelicitanddescribethelivedexperiencesofIndonesiannursesservingascareworkersinTaiwan. Methods:Phenomenologicalresearchwasusedtoexplorethe experiencesofIndonesiannursesworkinginlong-term carefacilities. The participants were recruited from care facilities in Taiwan. This study utilized semistructured interviews conducted with 16 Indonesian nurses in a suitable setting. All of the interviews were transcribed, and the work of Van Manen was used to analyze the data. Results: Four main themes were identified, including motives for working abroad, feelings of being trapped, experiencing a difficult journey, and the feeling of being supported. These themes reflect the lived experiences of Indonesian nurses who work in Taiwan’s long-term care industry. Conclusions: Nurses from Indonesia choose to who work as nurses in Taiwan because of poor financial background and the chance of gaining a better life. However, the participants in this study felt stressed, challenged, and disappointed when faced with the unmet expectations of being employed as care workers without a clear career path. Furthermore, the need to communicateinanunfamiliarlanguagewasmentionedasasignificantbarriertofulfillingtheirrole.Betterpoliciesshouldbeput in place to achieve improved outcomes for both countries.
