Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Nurses’ Spoken Interaction Challenges in Finnish Hospitals: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Background Migration of nurses is focused on Finland and other high-income countries, strengthening the local healthcare workforce. Working in a second language can be challenging for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) nurses. Addressing the interaction challenges faced by CALD nurses is crucial for patient safety, workplace well-being, and nurse retention. However, little is known about CALD nurses’ speaking and listening challenges from a micro-level perspective in a Finnish hospital context. Therefore, this study aimed to explore CALD nurses’ spoken interaction challenges in Finnish hospitals. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was employed for this study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted from September 2024 to November 2025 with 12 CALD and 17 native nurses who worked in multiple Finnish university hospitals. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Results Two main categories and six subcategories emerged through the analysis. The main category of speaking challenges included subcategories of speaking competence challenges, challenging speaking tasks, and challenging speaking attitudes and experiences. The main category of listening challenges included subcategories of listening competence challenges, challenging listening tasks, and challenging listening attitudes and experiences. Conclusions CALD nurses faced spoken interaction challenges at linguistic, task-related, and attitudinal and experiential levels, demonstrating the complex interplay of multifaceted challenges. The findings showed the need to provide individual support and promote inclusion in workplace interactions. The findings inform the development of practices that enhance interactions, such as language mentoring, educational simulations, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging policies.