The positives, the challenges and the impact; an exploration of early career nurses experiences in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Background: The intense working environment of the Emergency Department (ED) is exciting and rewarding; but is renowned for high staff turnover and burnout. The wellbeing and retention of the existing workforce is imperative. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of early careers nurses in the ED; identify aspects of ED they enjoyed, the challenges and explore potential coping mechanisms used to mitigate negative situations.

Methods: A qualitative design was used. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult and paediatric emergency nurses who had worked in the ED for less than three years. Data were transcribed, open coded and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Four key themes emerged; (1) Drawn to emergency nursing; (2) Teamwork; (3) Time to care; and (4) Reflections on the impact.

Conclusion: Opportunities for learning and development and being able to provide good levels of patient care were identified important to participants. Challenging aspects of the job included high workloads, exposure to traumatic incidents, violence and aggression. The psychological impact included feelings of burnout, exhaustion, flashbacks, personal growth and perspective. Teamwork, a strong support network and opportunities for formal and informal debrief were identified as helping to mitigate challenging aspects of the job.

Keywords: Early careers; Emergency Department; Learning; Nurse; Qualitative; Support; Trauma.