412 To be accepted as qualified healthcare workers in Norwegian nursing homes

Abstract OP 25: Exclusion and Discrimination 3, B207 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 14:45 - 15:45 Aims This article aims to explore female healthcare workers with migrant backgrounds’ experiences of being accepted as qualified professionals by colleagues and municipal authorities. The research questions are: Methods Data material was collected through ethnographic fieldwork using a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach. The data collected from 21 migrant women working temporary or permanent at two nursing homes within the same municipality. These women have lived in Norway for periods ranged from 3 to more than 20 years, and they came from African, Asian, Latin American and European countries outside Scandinavia. Data included interviews and participating observations and were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Results The results show that migrant women encounter several barriers to being accepted as formally qualified healthcare workers by the Norwegian health authorities and being valued for their work efforts among colleagues. The analysis also revealed language barriers, stereotyping and lack of acceptance regarding cultural background. The migrant women developed strategies to navigate these barriers. To be recognized by Norwegian health authorities for previous experience and skills in healthcare, several had to undertake new education as healthcare workers rather than just supplementary education. Conclusions Migrant women find municipal healthcare an entry point to permanent jobs. They are grateful for this career pathway, as it offers paid roles for caring for the elderly—tasks they are used to as unpaid family obligations in their home countries. However, they experience being less accepted as skilled, valued and accepted for their background and cultural competence. Female migrant healthcare workers strive to be recognized for their contributions and treated as equals among their colleagues.