Experiences of Indonesian Nurses Facing Recognition Barriers in the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties: A Qualitative Study

Background: Many Indonesian nurses working in Saudi Arabia failed to get the professional classification from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) based on their educational nursing background. Purpose: This research aims to explore the experiences of Indonesian nurses facing recognition barriers in the SCFHS policy on nursing bachelor's degrees obtained before 2014. Methods: A qualitative study was used in this research with a case study approach. Data was collected through focus group discussions with semi-structured interviews. The research subjects were 12 Indonesian nurses as participants with inclusion criteria being nurses still active and had been terminated from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data analysis was guided by Colaizzi's method, followed by Taguette transcripts. Results: Three themes were identified from the data analysis: perceived unfairness, professional recognition, and classification issues. The first theme consisted of three sub-themes: disappointment, work contract, and salary. The second theme consisted of three sub-themes: nursing background, upgrading, and Indonesian nurses, and the third theme consisted of two sub-themes: failure and nurse specialist. Conclusion: Indonesian nurses who obtained bachelor's degrees in nursing before 2014 were rejected by SCFHS in terms of professional classification recognition. To minimize these obstacles, the Indonesian government must evaluate the implementation of the educational nursing system that is not recognized by SCFHS, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could implement the SCFHS regulatory equity for Indonesian nurses. Implications for Nursing: The future of nurses careers depends on the acceptance of the nursing education and passing the professional body policy to recognize the professional classification. © 2025, Jordan University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.