Walking Alongside Children with Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses: Experiences of Pediatric Acute Care Nurses

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atmire.migration.oldid3818
dc.contributor.advisorRaffin Bouchal, Shelley
dc.contributor.authorMcConnell, Shelagh
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-21T19:32:13Z
dc.date.embargolift2016-02-22T07:00:00Z
dc.date.issued2015-10-21
dc.date.submitted2015en
dc.description.abstractCaring for children with Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses (PLSIs) in pediatric acute care is both rewarding and challenging for nurses. Despite the significant number of pediatric nurses who care for children with PLSIs and their families on general acute care units, little is known about the benefits and difficulties these nurses experience through their work. The intent of this hermeneutic study is to further understanding regarding the experiences of pediatric nurses in this context and to offer ways of better supporting them in their valuable work. Eight nurses from a general pediatric acute care unit were interviewed for this study. These data were analyzed according to the tradition of philosophical hermeneutics as described by Hans-Georg Gadamer. Findings from this research revealed nurses’ struggles to care for children with PLSIs whose lives are shrouded with uncertainty in a death-denying culture that values cure and treatment. Nurses recognized the many rewards and the beauty of their work even though they come to carry a burden and hold a great deal of darkness from the difficulty of what they see and do in their practice. Nurses’ struggles also included caring for children with PLSIs when they are excluded from the decision-making table. Nurses acknowledged that their ability to work in this area was limited as they were aware that the challenges of the work would eventually outweigh the beauty and the benefits. For their survival, nurses learned to depend on each other for support and learned from each other what it means to be a nurse in this area. The implications of this research include facilitating bedside nurses to be present at decision-making meetings and the encouragement and facilitation of nurse-to-nurse support.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMcConnell, S. (2015). Walking Alongside Children with Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses: Experiences of Pediatric Acute Care Nurses (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28669en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28669
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2624
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultyNursing
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectNursing
dc.subject.classificationPediatric Nursingen_US
dc.subject.classificationChildren with Progressive Life Shortening Illnessesen_US
dc.titleWalking Alongside Children with Progressive Life Shortening Illnesses: Experiences of Pediatric Acute Care Nurses
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineNursing
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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