Experiences and Perceptions of Foreign Nurses Working ina Super-aged Society: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Derong Zeng, MSN, RN, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoko Asakura, PhD, RN, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Japan;
Ayae Kinoshita, MD, PhD, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan; Bingbing Qi, PhD, RN, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University

Results

Background

This study delves into the experiences of foreign
male nurses from China working within Japan's
super-aged society, a distinctive environment
marked by unique healthcare and elderly caresystems.

PurposeRather than focusing broadly on how different
cultures approach elder care and gerontology,
we directed our focus on the Chineseperspective, aiming to gain a detailed
understanding of their experiences, challenges,
and perceptions within this context.

Methods• Design: a qualitative and inductive research
design.
• Sample: convenience and snowball sampling.16
male nurses who are licensed in Chinese andJapanese and worked in Japan for at least six
months were interviewed via Zoom.
• Data Analysis: Semi-structured recorded interview
raw data were transcribed using NVIVO; themesgenerated.
Results: Theme 3: Cultural Adaptation

Language Obstacles

Cultural Disparities"My biggest problem is
not understanding theexact meaning of what
the Japanese are saying.
I'm still kind ofguessing.""What I don't get is, once
I leave the workplace,they (my colleagues)
never contact me. The
workplace isn't as
friendly as in China."

Participants Characteristics
Age (Mean±SD) in years
Years worked in China
Years worked in Japan
Experience in China
Experience in Japan

N30±2.80-1
15>210.5-12>2
14Hospitals
16
Other Health Care Facilities 0
Hospitals
8
Other Health Care facilities 8Theme 1: Implications of an Aging Society

Working
Experiences
and Challenges
in Japan'sAging Society

Acknowledgm
ent of Japan'sPension andMedicalSystems

Critiques
RegardingJapan's Pension
and Medical
Systems"Lots of elderly
folks. People intheir sixties andseventies arestill working inhospitals.""The healthinsurance is really
good, ensuring
people don't
become poor
because ofillnesses."“Although it
benefits theelderly, it adds
pressure on theyoungergeneration”

Conclusion

The study provided insights into the challenges ofChinese male nurses facing in Japan's Super-aged Society,informed future policies for foreign healthcare
professionals, and added a new perspective todiscussions on cultural diversity in the global healthcare
workforce.

Theme 2: Job Responsibilities andChallenges
Job Responsibilities
and Daily Tasks

Shift Schedules andLong Working Hours•"My tasks are halfcaregiving and half
medical care, butmaybe slightly moreon the caregivingside.""In Japan, the shiftschedules are moredetailed. Night shifts
from 4:30 pm to 9:00
am the next day are
tough on the body."

Theme 4: Discrimination

GenderEthnic"While Japanesesociety is more
accepting of malenurses, somepatients stillquestion it. Someolder patients evensay things like,'You're smart, you
should go to
medical school' or'You should take themedical entrance
exam.”"Hospitals with more
foreign nurses seemto have worse
attitudes. My
previous hospital
was the worst,
maybe because of
the many
foreigners,
especially Chinese.
They prejudged us. I
was really mad,feeling like they
blamed us for theirpast mistakes."

Financial DisclosureThis study was supported by the grants from Interdisciplinary
Research Project in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Japan.