I Am a Nurse, Not a Martyr: Qualitative Investigation of Nurses’ Experiences During Onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jun J ; Rosemberg M-AS
• Description:
  Nurses have always played an essential role during epidemics, risking their lives caring for sick and dying patients. However, the unprecedented nature of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has left organizations and health-care professionals ill-prepared and under-equipped to manage the severity, manifestations, and acute and long-term implications. While COVID-19 has presented profound physical and mental health implications for nurses, we know little about nurses' professional experiences within their organizational context. Thus, this qualitative descriptive study fills that gap through in-depth exploration of nurses' shared professional experiences working in hospitals during the first surge of COVID-19 in the United States. Twenty-two nurses were interviewed via telephone during April and May 2020. Through thematic analysis four main themes emerged: (1) fear, (2) collective resilience through shared trauma, (3) uncharted territory, and (4) perceived disposability. Nurses felt ill-prepared for the rapid changes wrought by COVID-19; yet they also felt proud with a renewed sense of meaning in their work. While unit colleagues were a great source of strength, nurses still reported disappointment, even feeling abandoned by their organizations. Our study indicates that nurses relied on one another to cope and find meaning. These findings are invaluable for policy development and the establishment of preventive and early intervention strategies. Done right, such efforts could better support nurses by encouraging team building, protection, and rewards to maintain nurses' wellbeing during such outbreaks and in their aftermath. Organizations also ought to make nurses' health and wellbeing a priority by streamlining communication, transparency, and leadership visibility. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Environmental Exposure Health Personnel Mental Health Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 COVID-19 Exposure Levels Health Care Mental Stress Nurses Nursing Occupational Groups Organization Physical Stress Resilience Risk Factors

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• ISSN:
  1527-1544
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  48-55
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064683
• Citation:
  Policy Polit Nurs Pract 2022 Feb; 23(1):48-55
• Contact Point Address:
  Jin Jun, Center for Healthy Aging, Self-Management and Complex Care, The Ohio State University, College of Nursing, 1585 Neil Ave Columbus, OH 43210
• Email:
  jun.128@osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4a19fd8966e5ff6ea2868b695940d5b9072762595a759f4c5180858d73afd5c24ab6c460ea1eb88c927d9b691342b895056227d482d0dfe598da68712eebd656
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223093/cdc_223093_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 537.76 KB ]