Introduction: Norway’s healthcare system needs a diversified work force to meet societal demands for improved cultural competence. However, many migrants in Norway who were educated as health professions in their home countries are not practicing these professions. This may negatively affect their physical and mental health and hinder their personal social integration. Though good health is often seen as a precondition for work, relevant working activities can also improve health. However, including health professionals with foreign education in academic institutions prior to receiving necessary accreditation is a complex task. This study will pilot an intervention aiming to improve health through meaningful integration of these professionals in academic environments.Materials and methods: This paper is a protocol for a non-randomized pilot intervention study targeting migrants who are waiting for their health education accreditation in Norway. To test the benefits of meaningful activity on health and explore possibilities for implementing such activity, we have designed a six-month long intervention consisting of including nurses, doctors, and other highly educated migrants with healthcare backgrounds between 20 and 67 years of age, into health-related working tasks, at two higher education institutions in Bergen, Norway. The intervention will be tailored according to the participant’s expertise. This hybrid type 2 pilot protocol paper will present how feasibility, fidelity, dose received (satisfaction), and dose of exposure (participation), will be assessed and whether the intervention is experienced as beneficial for the participants’ health as primary outcome utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods.Conclusion: We present a complex, personalized intervention that has the potential for large scale implementation in the future. By thoroughly presenting our designed intervention and assessment methods, this protocol will add to the study’s transparency and facilitate replicability and comparison with future studies. This study will be of benefit to the migrants themselves, policy makers, government agencies and academia at large as it can point to a unique and sustainable way of speeding up the integration of highly educated migrants in their respective fields in a new host country.

Background: Highly educated individuals migrating to a new host country without work accreditation face various stressors that impact their health. Among them is the long waiting time for their integration as a resourceful workforce. In this study, we piloted a work-related intervention aimed at improving the health of highly educated migrants. We hypothesize that by including migrants in meaningful working-related activities, their self-rated health (SRH) and other health outcomes will improve. Methods: This is a non-randomized intervention pilot study examining the changes in participants’ health using an explanatory sequential design for evaluation. Baseline data was collected in Bergen for the intervention group and Kristiansand for the control group in 2023, with follow-up data collected after six months. The intervention consisted of working as assistant teachers at various health education programs at university level in Bergen for six months. Both groups answered a questionnaire that included SRH measured by a single validated item and other health measures. We calculated prevalence proportions and ratios, and differences in means using generalized estimating equations with 95% confidence intervals (CI), to estimate the changes in health outcomes adjusting for baseline confounders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the intervention group ( N = 15) to gain deeper understanding of changes in health or other effects of the intervention. Results: Fifteen participants in the intervention and 62 in the control group completed both questionnaires. We found no changes between the groups in SRH, but significant improvements in general mental health measured with the crude General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) -0.07 (-0.11;-0.03) and improved well-being measured with the adjusted World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) 0.09 (0.01;0.17) in the intervention group. Qualitative data indicated a positive intervention experience, explained by renewed self-confidence, family pride, improved stress management, empowerment and increased physical activity. Conclusion: Our pilot study suggested positive health changes from a work-related intervention in terms of improved general mental health and well-being. Quantitative and qualitative data were complementary. For confirmation of effects, this pilot study should be upscaled with a randomized trial design.

Background: Highly educated migrants in Norway often experience prolonged delays before accessing employment that matches their qualifications. During this period, many participate in compulsory education, language training, or work in jobs unrelated to their professions. This study explores how the introductory program for migrants and work outside one’s professional field shape health, identity, and the broader integration process. Methods: We conducted semi‑structured interviews with eight highly educated migrants enrolled in the introductory program in Kristiansand municipality in Norway. Interviews focused on experiences with the program and employment unrelated to the participants’ professional backgrounds. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and informed by Social Identity Theory. Findings: Participants described employment, and particularly their former professions, as central to their self-esteem, sense of meaning, and social belonging. Prolonged credential recognition processes and limited opportunities for meaningful social contact due to employment status loss, contributed to feelings of stagnation, exclusion, and weakened professional identity. Many participants emphasized a strong desire to contribute to society and regain their professional status. While the introductory program offered valuable peer support and facilitated language learning, it was not experienced as a direct pathway to inclusion in Norwegian society and professional work life. The findings indicate that early access to work-based integration opportunities, such as internships or relevant job placements, may enhance well‑being, foster language acquisition, and strengthen social inclusion for highly educated migrants. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that policymakers and practitioners should prioritize measures that streamline credential recognition and expand early, relevant work-based integration opportunities. Such approaches can improve language development, support identity reconstruction, strengthen social belonging, and ultimately promote better health and integration outcomes for highly educated migrants.

Background: Highly educated migrants in Norway often experience prolonged delays before accessing employment that matches their qualifications. During this period, many participate in compulsory education or language training, or work in jobs unrelated to their professions. This study explores how the introductory program for migrants and work outside one’s professional field shape health, identity, and the broader integration process. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with eight highly educated migrants enrolled in the introductory program in Kristiansand municipality in Norway. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by Social Identity Theory. Findings: Participants described employment, and particularly their former professions, as central to their self-esteem, sense of meaning, and social belonging. Prolonged credential recognition processes and limited opportunities for meaningful social contact due to employment status loss contributed to feelings of stagnation, exclusion, and weakened professional identity. Many participants emphasized a strong desire to contribute to society and regain their professional status. While the introductory program offered valuable peer support and facilitated language learning, it was not experienced as a direct pathway to inclusion in Norwegian society and professional life. The findings indicate that early access to work-based integration opportunities, such as internships or relevant job placements, may enhance well-being, foster language acquisition, and strengthen social inclusion for highly educated migrants. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that policymakers and practitioners should prioritize measures that streamline credential recognition and expand early, relevant work-based integration opportunities. Such approaches can improve language development, support identity reconstruction, strengthen social belonging, and ultimately promote better health and integration outcomes for highly educated migrants.

Background: Health, employment, and professional integration are closely linked for migrant health professionals. However, language barriers and complex accreditation processes often hinder foreign-trained professionals from re-entering their fields in host countries. This study evaluated the implementation strategy of a health-promoting labor integration intervention in Norway that placed highly educated migrant health professionals in academic institutions as assistant teachers, where they worked alongside mentors and gained exposure to Norwegian work culture. Methods: A qualitative implementation evaluation informed by implementation science was conducted, focusing on four predefined implementation outcomes: satisfaction, participation, fidelity, and feasibility. Data were collected in Bergen, Norway, through field observations and midway evaluations during the intervention, and semi-structured interviews with 15 mentees and 11 mentors after its completion. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Mentees reported increased confidence, professional growth, and meaningful engagement in academic activities. Mentors generally perceived the intervention as rewarding, although some experienced challenges related to unclear expectations and competing responsibilities. Fidelity varied across sites due to mentor–mentee mismatches and bureaucratic delays. Feasibility was enhanced by personalized support, team-based mentoring, and flexible integration into academic settings. Conclusions: Academic placements may promote the integration and wellbeing of migrant health professionals. Addressing implementation challenges before scale-up is essential. Future larger-scale effectiveness studies should build on both the implementation findings reported here and the pilot outcome findings reported elsewhere to assess intervention effects, sustainability, and scalability: