Experiences of grief and loss among registered nurses in residential aged care facilities: A qualitative descriptive study

Registered nurses working in residential aged care facilities frequently encounter dying and death. While caring for the dying is part of their role, RNs are at risk of experiencing unexpressed grief and loss, which can have negative physical and emotional effects. Individual experiences of grief and loss in registered nurses working residential aged care facilities are underexplored. This qualitative descriptive study explores how registered nurses in residential aged care facilities characterize their experience of grief and loss. Semi structured face-to face interviews were conducted with nine registered nurses from two residential aged care facilities in New South Wales, Australia. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Four themes were identified: (1) evolution of emotion; (2) wellbeing and resilience; (3) challenges; (4) solutions. While participants expressed resilience and coping strategies, there is a need for a structured organizational approach to support RNs, particularly new graduate registered nurses in managing grief and loss.