Program
The arduous passion of resuscitation nursing: When the adrenaline wears off
May 25, 2024 from 12:15pm MST to 12:30pm MST
Oral Poster Presentation: The arduous passion of resuscitation nursing: When the adrenaline wears off
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore emergency room (ER) nurses’ experiences of in-hospital resuscitation events and their experiences of clinical event debriefing. Emergency nurses from an urban tertiary hospital located in Western Canada were invited to participate in a semi-structured, digitally recorded, 1:1 interview. Eight nurses volunteered to participate. Digital recordings were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts and the first author’s reflective journals were analyzed using content analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) ER nurses’ experiences of resuscitation – ‘The adrenaline rush,’ (2) ER nurses’ experiences post-resuscitation – ‘When the adrenaline wears off’ and ‘The arduous passion of emergency room nursing,’ (3) ER nurses’ perspectives of clinical event debriefing, and (4) ER nurses’ recommendations for future practice and resources. Participants expressed devotion to their profession, their ER team, and their patients. Participants described negative psychological consequences resulting from providing resuscitation care, which had profound effects on their personal and professional lives. Moral distress and secondary trauma stress arose despite current resources, which were reported to be inconsistently implemented. Participants identified gaps in supportive measures related to resuscitation events. Benefits, barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for clinical event debriefing, along with other recommendations for future practices to support emergency health care teams, were identified. Improved staffing, a mentorship program for emergency nurses, multidisciplinary education for resuscitation teams, and public awareness describing emergency department teams’ demands were recommended. Implementing supportive measures for emergency personnel is required for their well-being, and in the best interest of the patients, families, and healthcare organization.
Speakers / Panelists
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The arduous passion of resuscitation nursing: When the adrenaline wears off
May 25, 2024 from 12:15pm MST to 12:30pm MST
Andrea Toews
RNBN, MN
Andrea Toews
Andrea Toews
RNBN, MN
Andrea Toews completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Manitoba in 2013. She has worked primarily in acute care settings, Emergency and Intensive Care, where she developed her passion for resuscitation nursing and supporting teams. She earned her Master of Nursing degree from the University of Manitoba in February 2024, during which time she actively engaged in scholarly pursuits and presentations on clinical debriefing post-resuscitation. Notably, her contributions include a manuscript titled 'Clinical Debriefing: A Concept Analysis' published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing in 2021. In recognition of her achievements, she was presented the Award of Excellence: Clinical Nursing Practice in Acute Care by the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (ARNM) in 2022. Her dedication to research was further acknowledged when she was awarded the Research Manitoba Master’s Studentship Award later that year. She intends to disseminate her thesis findings through publication in the near future.