Battling extraordinary situations and conflicting emotions—A qualitative study of being a newly graduated Registered Nurse in the emergency department during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Aim To describe newly graduated registered nurses’ (NGRNs’) experiences of encountering stress in emergency departments (EDs) during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design A qualitative descriptive study. Methods Data from 14 in‐depth interviews with NGRNs working in an ED for 3‐36 months after graduation wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nursing open 2022-09, Vol.9 (5), p.2370-2380
Main Authors: Carnesten, Hillewi, Wiklund Gustin, Lena, Skoglund, Karin, Von Heideken Wågert, Petra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
advanced nursing
BURNOUT
care
CHALLENGES
CONSCIENCE
Coronaviruses
COVID ‐19
emergency care
emergency department
EXPERIENCES
Nurses
Occupational stress
PERCEPTIONS
qualitative approaches
Qualitative research
stress
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Summary:Aim To describe newly graduated registered nurses’ (NGRNs’) experiences of encountering stress in emergency departments (EDs) during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design A qualitative descriptive study. Methods Data from 14 in‐depth interviews with NGRNs working in an ED for 3‐36 months after graduation was analysed by the means of qualitative content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman. Interviews were conducted from March to November 2020 covering the first two waves of the pandemic. Results Data revealed three categories and nine subcategories comprised in the theme Battling extraordinary situations and conflicting emotions. Empowered by acknowledging themselves as important caregivers during the pandemic NGRNs struggle against limitations and exert themselves beyond their known limit. External stressors due to work overload in combination with understaffing force NGRNs into the role of the experienced nurse prematurely and internal stressors derives from part taking in less qualitative care.
ISSN:2054-1058
2054-1058
DOI:10.1002/nop2.1250