Experiences of Nurses Working in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

Objective: The study aims to highlight the pandemic experiences of nurses working in the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) intensive care unit (ICU). Material and Methods: In this study, the phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling method and consisted of 13 nurses who were actively working in the COVID-19 ICU and volunteered to participate in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals. A thematic analysis was performed, and a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis programme (MAXQDA22) was used to analyse the data. Results: When nurses' experiences working in the COVID-19 ICU were analysed, nurses were most physically, socially, and psychologically affected by COVID-19. Conclusion: It was determined that nurses working in the COVID-19 ICU were generally negatively affected. These negatives decreased nurses' job satisfaction, and many of the nurses had thoughts of quitting their jobs. This study provided important data about the pandemic by emphasizing COVID-19 ICU experiences. Within the scope of the study, it is recommended that psychosocial and economic micro, mezzo, and macro practices be implemented that will encourage nurses' professional commitment. Keywords: COVID-19, intensive care units, nurses, qualitative research.