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Pandemic perspectives from the frontline—The nursing stories
Author(s) -
Polinard Elizabeth L.,
Ricks Tiffany N.,
Duke Ellen Stoetzner,
Lewis Kimberly A.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.15306
Subject(s) - thematic analysis , nursing , health care , pandemic , checklist , qualitative research , nurse education , psychology , medicine , covid-19 , sociology , political science , social science , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , cognitive psychology
Aim To describe the experiences of registered nurses working in a US healthcare system during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design This qualitative thematic analysis study is a secondary analysis of stories submitted by nurses to a repository established by the parent study. Methods Registered nurses working in various roles in a healthcare system submitted stories ( N = 45) to open‐ended prompts via an online repository between June 2020 and February 2021. A team of three nurse scientists coded the stories using Dedoose software. Initial codes were then reviewed by the team to synthesize initial coding into themes. The COREQ checklist was used to ensure research reporting guidelines were met. Results Thematic analysis revealed three themes in a global theme of COVID‐19 pandemic‐related personal and professional evolution: (1) The art and science of pandemic nursing, (2) Persisting despite challenges; and (3) Learning as we went. Each of the three organizing themes were supported by basic themes. Conclusions Identified themes affirm some of nursing's long‐standing core values, such as the central role of human connectedness in restoring health, but findings also reflect new evolutionary processes of moral identity formation that occurred among nurses and the nursing profession during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Impact Findings from this study describe the processes by which nurses' moral identity evolved during a segment of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Collectively, these evolutions represent important shifts in the nursing profession. Using findings from this study, nurse educators, nurse managers and healthcare administrators will be able to implement effective, sustainable policies and processes that meet the needs of both the community and the workforce. No Patient or Public Contribution This study was designed to capture the experiences of nurses employed by one healthcare organization. However, it was not conducted using input or suggestions from the public or the patient population served by the organization.