Coping with COVID-19. Work life experiences of nursing, midwifery and paramedic academics: An international interview study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 global pandemic was declared in March 2020. By June 2022, the total deaths worldwide attributed to COVID-19 numbered over 6.3 million. Health professionals have been significantly impacted worldwide primarily those working on the frontline but also those working in other areas including nursing, midwifery, and paramedic higher education. Studies of occupational stress have focused on the clinical health professional roles but scant attention has been drawn to the pressures on university-based academic staff supporting and preparing professionals for frontline health work. DESIGN AND OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study sought to explore the challenges experienced by health academics (nurses, midwives and paramedics), during COVID-19 and identify strategies enlisted. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Six Australian and two United Kingdom universities collaborated, from which 34 health academics were individually interviewed via video or teleconference, using six broad questions. Ethical approval was obtained from the lead site and each participating University. DATA ANALYSIS: Thematic analysis of the data was employed collaboratively across institutions, using Braun and Clarke's method. RESULTS: Data analysis generated four major themes describing academics': Experiences of change; perceptions of organisational responses; professional and personal impacts; and strategies to support wellbeing. Stress, anxiety and uncertainty of working from home and teaching in a different way were reported. Strategies included setting workday routine, establishing physical boundaries for home-working and regular online contact with colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of nursing, midwifery and, paramedic academic staff to adapt to a sudden increase in workload, change in teaching practices and technology, while being removed from their work environment, and collegial, academic and technological supports is highlighted. It was recognised that these changes will continue post-COVID and that the way academics deliver education is forever altered.

Nursing Students' Willingness and Confidence to Volunteer in a Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may result in shortages of health care workers in some areas of the health care system. With adequate support, nursing students could potentially play a role in easing health worker shortages. OBJECTIVE: To describe and explore nursing students' willingness and confidence to contribute to the health care workforce during a pandemic. METHODS: A mixed-methods descriptive survey design was used to explore the perspectives of second-year nursing students at an Australian University. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using directed content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 280 nursing students were invited to complete the survey with a response rate of 32%. The majority of the participants showed moderate to high levels of willingness to volunteer in a pandemic. Of the participants, 50% reported slight confidence that their knowledge and skills would assist them during their volunteering. Reasons that influenced students' willingness to volunteer included perception of lack of personal protective equipment, need for incentives, fear of transmitting infection to family members, barriers to volunteering, inadequate knowledge and skills to handle a pandemic situation, study and clinical placement arrangements, and disease hazardousness. CONCLUSION: Most nursing students have a level of willingness to volunteer but low confidence that their knowledge and skills would assist them while volunteering in pandemic situations. Universities and health care organizations can benefit from these findings by developing strategies to increase students' willingness to volunteer, as well as their confidence in their knowledge and skills.

Phenomenology of Australian civilian hospital nurses’ lived experiences of the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster

ABSTRACT Background Disasters disrupt the fabric of communities. This includes disruption to the healthcare system that supports a disaster-affected community. Nurses are important members of disaster response teams. However, there is limited literature that describes nurses’ roles or experience in responding to disasters. Aim This paper employs a phenomenological approach to uncover moments of being an Australian civilian hospital nurse in the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster. Method This study uncovers moments of what it is like being an Australian civilian hospital nurse deployed to the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster. Individual interviews were undertaken at two points in time with each participant. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed to textual narratives, which was then analysed. Several activities were undertaken to uncover moments and provide exemplars of moments, from the narrative. Findings Eight hospital nurses participated in this study. Five moments were uncovered: ‘on the way to a disaster’, ‘prior to starting work’, ‘working a shift in a disaster’, ‘end of a shift’, and ‘returning home’. Each moment has its uniqueness and singularity exemplifying an experience of nurses in the out-of-hospital disaster environment. Discussion When compared to a hospital context, assisting during and/or following a disaster in the out-of-hospital environment is challenging. For example, nurses may need to do more with less resources, provide more frequent psychosocial support for more extenuating circumstances, and experience an unsettling return home at the end of the deployment. Conclusions This paper has provided new insights into what it may be like being an Australian civilian hospital nurse in the out-of-hospital disaster environment as part of a disaster medical assistance teams. Strategies to support nurses who assist during and/or following a disaster are important, so nurses can in turn provide care to people in disaster-affected communities.