Background: The clinical work of nurses across the United States was profoundly impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nurses in both hospital and outpatient settings had to adapt quickly to the continuously changing healthcare environment.
Objective: To describe nurses' responses to open-ended questions of their clinical work adaption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey with four open-ended questions was completed by practicing HF nurses. Content analysis was used to analyze the written data.
Results: The 127 nurses who provided one to four narrative responses, 55.1% were clinical registered nurses and 44.9% were advance practice nurses. Four categories emerged: changing paths exemplifies work challenges, developing technical skills and resources, asking better questions while listening, and showing resilience through new paths to optimize work.
Conclusion: Understanding perceptions of nurses' adaptions to clinical work made during the pandemic provides insight into the challenges and opportunities for development in the future.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Heart failure nurses; Nurses perceptions; Practice patterns; Qualitative.
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