The rite of passage of becoming a humanitarian health worker: experiences of retention in Sweden

Figures & data

Table 1. Profile of 10 female nurses interviewed in the study.

Study participant		Length of interview (minutes)	Age group (years)	Number of missions	Length of first mission (months)	Countries of deployment (per study sample)
N1	75		30–39	3	9	Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, Zambia, Zimbabwe
N2	87		30–39	7	9
N3	103		30–39	8	3
N4	78		30–39	8	6
N5	100		40–49	3	6
N6	110		40–49	3	3
N7	95		40–49	5	5
N8	79		40–49	3	7
N9	81		40–49	7	6
N10	76		50–59	3	2

Table 2. Theme, categories and sub-categories in the content analysis of nurses’ perspectives on remaining humanitarian health workers.

Theme	Category	Sub-category
Constructing and sustaining new roles	Separation		Self-focused values as motivators
			Altruistic values as motivators
	Transitional period		Vulnerability
			Role-shifting
			Support of competence and autonomy
	Post-experience reincorporation		Struggling in-between two worlds
			Limited social mechanisms for maintaining change
			Individual coping strategies for maintaining change

Table 3. Quotes illustrating changes in personal character of sub-category ‘Role-shifting’.

Code	Main sub-codes	Typical quotes
Changes in personal character	Positive thinking	That you’re actually able to make sure that every small good thing is a massive good thing. Just to concentrate on the good things, rather than the bad things that you see happening. I think I learned that. (N2)
	Recognise the limits	I felt this a lot, after my first two missions, like a comfortable feeling within myself that ‘Well, this is me, I can’t do much more. These are my limits'.(N7)
	Flexibility	I learned that I can be very flexible. And that is a big advantage in MSF. That you adapt, to very changing situations, with very changing tasks. (N5)
	Calmness	You are so challenged, both on a personal and professional level, when you’re out in the field…so it prepares you! I have become quite calm, I would say. It’s like…there are not a lot of things that stress me. (N7)