In this pilot study, frontline nurses shared their stories of working during the pandemic, and the impact this work has had on their professional and personal well-being.

A team of researchers from the College of Nursing and the Arts and Design Research Incubator (ADRI) at Penn State used Story Circle methodology to conduct this study. In addition to exploring the experiences of frontline nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers will explore the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived efficacy of storytelling with frontline nurses as both a qualitative methodology and therapeutic group process for nursing staff. Findings will provide foundational data for a larger study that will inform 1) the preliminary development of strategies to support the well-being and effectiveness of nurses during emergency/disaster situations, 2) the effectiveness of storytelling as a therapeutic benefit and as a methodology to collect data, and 3) pedagogical approaches to prepare prelicensure nursing students for these situations.

Read about this work on the ADRI blog: “COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from Nurses on the Frontline”