“It Was Never Enough”: The Meaning of Nurses’ Experiences Caring for Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study’s aim was to understand nurses’ caring experiences during the recent pandemic in the United States. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, 15 participants provided the meaning of the care they provided. Five major themes were interpreted: If not us, then who?; Accepting uncertainty; It was never enough; Finding self and our voices in a new role; and Believing it was worth it. The study results have implications for psychiatric-mental health nurse clinicians as they identify and meet the needs of individuals of this vulnerable group. Research that uncovers the meaning of the caring experiences of front line nurses can illuminate the discipline’s current understanding of this phenomena.