Nurses’ Perspectives of Migrant Farm Workers and Their Healthcare Barriers

Abstract

Migrant farm workers are an essential workforce in the United States that face many barriers to healthcare, including hazardous work environment, poverty, insufficient support systems, inadequate or unsafe housing, limited availability of clean water and septic systems, insufficient healthcare access, continuity of care issues, lack of insurance, cultural and language barriers, fear of using healthcare due to immigration status, and a lack of transportation. This novice researcher designed a basic qualitative study using semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews, asking researcher- designed, open-ended questions to explore the research question, what are nurses’ experiences caring for migrant farm workers and their perspectives on the healthcare barriers they face? A Facebook flyer was posted by this researcher, which recruited five nurses with experience caring for migrant farm workers in North Carolina as participants for this study. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed, and this researcher used thematic analysis coding, which allowed for interpretation and organization and structured the observations and interpretations of 93 codes. This researcher reduced the codes into five main themes, including (1) access to healthcare, (2) farmers caring for farm workers, (3) housing, (4) farm workers focused only on work, and (5) supportive organizations. The data from this study could help inform nurse educators and administrators positioned to mitigate some of these barriers at the point of care by knowing more about the context and challenges these workers face. This researcher recommends conducting a more extensive study that includes migrant farm workers nationwide to compare and contrast varying barriers to help healthcare providers uncover and share limited resources.