Frontline nurses' experiences of working in a COVID‐19 ward–A qualitative study

Specht, Kirsten; Primdahl, Jette; Jensen, Hanne Irene; Elkjær, Mette; Hoffmann, Eva; Boye, Lilian Keene; Thude, Bettina Ravnborg

AIM: To explore how nurses experienced working in a newly organized COVID‐19 ward with high‐risk patients during a new and unknown pandemic. DESIGN: A qualitative explorative study using a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach. METHODS: Semi‐structured individual telephone interviews were conducted in June–July 2020 with 23 nurses working in COVID‐19 wards from three regional hospitals in Denmark. The nurses had been transferred from other departments at their hospital to the newly organized COVID‐19 wards. Data analysis was influenced by Paul Ricoeur's theory of narrative and interpretation, including three analytical levels: naïve reading, structural analysis and critical interpretation and discussion. RESULTS: During the structural analysis four themes were generated: (a) Challenging and uncertain situation, but also a positive experience (b) Professional and personal development (c) Lack of nurses' rights during a pandemic (d) Reward in itself or a desire for financial reward.