Lived experiences of CNSs who collaborate with physicians: a phenomenological study

Collaborative relationships with other disciplines is an important component of the CNS role. Literature is scant about CNS/physician collaboration. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to discover the lived experience of CNSs who experienced physician collaboration. Four CNSs described their experiences. Their oral descriptions were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. These descriptions were analyzed for meaning using the Giorgi method. Five themes emerged: (1) experiences mutual trust and respect, (2) maintains a nursing perspective, (3) establishes collegial relationships, (4) defines a practice role, and (5) lives a positive experience. The synthesized structural description of the collaboration emerged as a process of relationship building based on mutual respect, trust, and commitment to actualize this collegial manner of practice. CNSs can use information from this research to develop strategies to establish collaborative relationships with physicians.