Table 4 Emerged Themes from the Interviews
Themes | Sub-Themes | Female n (%) | Male n (%) | Sample responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nurse and People | Holistic care | 31 (100.0) | 11 (100.0) | “When we treat patients in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), we often make a personalized care plan for patients according to their illness, family background, and even economic conditions, and then carry out targeted care measures for patients.” (30-year-old male nurse) |
Mutual respect | 25 (80.6) | 9 (81.8) | “This is a process of mutual respect. […] It makes you feel good when someone is really nice, and you want to do more for them.” (26-year-old female nurse) | |
Shared decision making | 6 (19.4) | 1 (9.1) | “We (the medical team and the patient) should discuss it and they (the patient) have a choice as to the kind of medical care they want.“ (37-year-old female nurse) | |
Nurse and themselves | Professional pursuit | 18 (58.1) | 4 (36.4) | “You know there’s no end to learning. […] You need to keep learning so that you can cope with things.” (24-year-old male nurse) |
Self-acceptance | 12 (38.7) | 0 (0.0) | While I usually get along with everyone, I tend to be more rational and my perception ability is not as strong [.] leading to a lot of things patients find painful, and I can’t give them much support. (33-year-old female nurse) | |
Staying true to original aspiration | 7 (22.6) | 3 (27.3) | “There was a fire in our soul upon graduation. […] But there is a growing sense that there is no such thing as a possibility, or that even if you try too hard, it won’t work.” (31-year-old female nurse) | |
Professional identity | 0 (0.0) | 1 (9.1) | “In addition to the things doctors can do to help patients, we can also provide them with things that are useful.“ (24-year-old male nurse) | |
Nurse and society | Positive practice environment | 14 (45.2) | 5 (45.5) | “Obviously, the nursing workforce is very large, but not very vocal, right? […] That means there might be some problems.” (36-year-old male nurse) |
Social responsibility | 7 (22.6) | 1 (9.1) | “Go where there is epidemic, fight it till it perishes. […] Everyone in our department cancelled the Spring Festival holiday and was on standby at work.” (23-year-old male nurse) |