Experience of Clinical Adaptation among Nurses in Intensive Care Unit

Purpose : This study aimed to explore and describe intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ experience of clinical adaptation.Methods : The participants were 14 ICU nurses with more than two years of working experience in the ICU. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews conducted between July and October 2021. Theoretical sampling was used to the point of theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin method.Results : A total of 79 concepts, 37 subcategories, and 16 categories were identified through open coding. Axial coding based on the paradigm model revealed that the central phenomenon was “The harsh adversity faced in the nursing field where life and death are determined” and the core category was “Enduring the adversity of caring for critically ill patients and achieving self-realization.” ICU nurses’ clinical adaptation process was explained in five phases: “confrontation period,” “turbulent period,” “seeking period,” “struggling period,” and “stabilized period.” The five phases that affect interventional conditions were “Support from reliable people,” “Recognition of administrative and financial support.”Conclusion : This study provided novel insights for a comprehensive understanding of ICU nurses’ clinical adaptation processes. Furthermore, the findings are expected to be used as basic data to develop multifaceted strategies to help ICU nurses’ adaptation to critical care.