The nurse's spirit: The lived experience of spirituality for nurses who work in palliative care settings
Purpose: To examine the lived experience of spirituality in Hospice Palliative Care Nurses (HPCN) Significance: Contribute to the overall definition of spirituality from nurses' perspectives. Methods: Existential Phenomenology using the approach developed by Thomas & Pollio (2002); six participants engaged in a one hour interview and reported their perceptions about spirituality. Results: Three common themes were identified by the participants when defining spirituality; 1) strength 2) spirituality as being different from organized religion and 3) spirituality gives meaning and purpose in life. Six global themes were also identified: 1) professional self, 2) reflective self, 3) the nurse's relationship with god, 4) the patient/family journey and the nurse's role, 5) time in the profession of hospice palliative care, 6) being present. Conclusions: Results of this study can inform nursing curricula and positively influence nursing practice by increasing our understanding of the perception of spirituality in hospice/palliative care nurses.
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