Nurses' personal perceptions of clinical work adaptation during COVID-19

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.

To describe nurses' responses to open-ended questions of their clinical work adaption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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.

Understanding perceptions of nurses' adaptions to clinical work made during the pandemic provides insight into the challenges and opportunities for development in the future.