A qualitative examination of graduating nurses’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Currently, graduating nurses face pandemic-related uncertainty including gaps in risk perception, unexpected Covid-19 moral dilemmas, and distress surrounding personal health risk. Research question/aim/objectives/Method: The purpose of this basic qualitative descriptive study is to describe the willingness of graduating nurses to provide care during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants and research context: One week prior to graduation, students were required to submit a written assignment describing willingness to practice in light of the ongoing pandemic. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by an Institutional Review Board. Findings/results: Eighty-four ( n = 84) assignments were used for analysis. Of these, 82% (n = 69) of the graduating nurses describe a willingness to voluntarily care for Covid-19 patients. After summarizing narrative responses, two themes emerged including self-assessment of personal and familial risk and conflicting obligations. Discussion: The assessment of risk to self and family are key in determining whether graduating nurses will care for Covid-19 patients. Conflicting obligations may contribute to stress and uncertainty potentially leading to early burnout. Conclusion: Findings from this study can inform academicians of the need to adequality prepare graduating nurses for Covid-19-associated risks and ethical decision making. Organizations should alter residencies and orientation to support the needs of new nurses.

Spontaneous ethics in nurses’ willingness to work during a pandemic

“… 5 , 6 Among graduating nurses, 82% expressed willingness to voluntarily care for these patients. 7 In China, willingness among frontline nurses was 96% 8 ; while in Australia, only 60% were willing to care for COVID-19 patients. 9 These inconsistencies in an underexplored research area indicate a need for a more qualitative, deepened understanding of the topic.…”

The context, contribution and consequences of addressing the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration of executive nurses' perspectives

“…Nurses' willingness to continue to work, working face‐to‐face with other staff and patients at their home hospital or in other settings were commonly reported, with some hesitancy revealed to move from non‐COVID to COVID settings by a few participants. Difficulties of working included safety/risk concerns to self and their families, along with the discomfort of working in PPE have been reported by the ANMF (Adelson et al, 2021 ) and elsewhere (Lancaster et al, 2021 ). In their survey of 32,174 nurses, the American Nursing Association reported that 87% were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ afraid to go to work (American Nursing Association, 2020 ).…”

“…However, reports of adapting well to registered roles suggest for many this was a successful approach. In a content analysis of USA graduating nurses' ( n = 84) assessment of personal practice within COVID‐19, the majority indicated they were willing to care for COVID‐19 patients but robust PPE was required (Lancaster et al, 2021 ). Such innovations were supported through funding available to address COVID‐19, cross‐functional teams and a shared purpose, and should not be rolled back.…”

Cultivating Psychological Resilience of Israeli Medical Directors of COVID-19 Divisions: The Dynamic Spheres of Salutogenics

“…To ensure that our findings are relevant and actionable we collected data in real time rather than retrospectively. We generated data in a short window of time with a fast recruitment and extensive data collection ( 40 ). We were transparent and disclosed the study purpose and rights of the participant.…”