Challenges Among Overseas Filipino Worker Nurses in Pursuing Graduate Studies: A Descriptive Quantitative Analysis

This study aimed to determine the challenges faced by Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) nurses in pursuing graduate studies and examined how these barriers relate to their perceived feasibility. Using a descriptive‑correlational design, data from 89 OFW nurses at one of the Military hospitals in Saudi Arabia showed that financial, time and workload, institutional, technological, and psychological challenges were all rated highly, with time and workload as the strongest constraints. Higher levels of challenges were significantly associated with lower perceived feasibility (p = .000). Age was related to the challenges encountered, while marital status and salary range were linked to perceived feasibility. Guided by Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory, Pender’s Health Promotion Model, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the study offered a theory‑integrated baseline for understanding how personal responsibilities, workplace demands, and institutional accessibility shape OFW nurses’ pursuit of advanced education. Although many studies examined OFW experiences in general, no research specifically explored the interconnected roles of demographic factors, challenges, and perceived feasibility among OFW nurses in Saudi hospitals. This absence of context‑specific evidence created a clear gap that the present study addresses by focusing on the unique academic realities of OFW nurses in Saudi Arabia. Understanding these dynamics is essential not only for improving academic outcomes but also for strengthening the global nursing workforce, enhancing professional mobility, and ensuring that Filipino nurses who contribute significantly to international healthcare systems are empowered to advance their careers. Its value for future researchers lies in providing an empirically grounded framework, clearly defined demographic and institutional variables, and a foundation for cross‑country comparisons, longitudinal analyses, and deeper qualitative inquiry.