“We didn’t even have time to worry about our mental health.” Long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing professionals’ experiences

Explore the experiences of nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact these experiences continue to have on their personal and professional lives. This qualitative study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with nine nursing professionals from southern Brazil. Two main themes and five subthemes were developed. The first theme, "Ongoing trauma response," had three subthemes: (a) Fear of dying and family dying, (b) Loneliness and isolation, and (c) My emotions don't matter. The second theme highlights the "Continued problems with the larger healthcare system" and is made up of two subthemes: (a) We are humans, not superheroes, and (b) We are still invisible. Symptoms of trauma response continued to be a significant challenge among nursing professionals even after the end of the pandemic. Recommendations for improving working conditions and making mental health services more readily available are discussed.