Mixed Expectations in the Recruitment Settlement during COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Newly Employed Nurses in Oman

Abstract

Introduction: Hospital nurses’ recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge for the hospital, the staff themselves and for their families & relatives. Although the world has undergone different pandemics and disasters, the literature has shown that the new nurses still face uncertainty in dealing with health emergencies and disasters that impose significant stress on their performance at work. The situation in Oman is not different and little is known about the newly employed nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The qualitative study was designed to include face to face interviews of the newly employed nurses between May and December 2020 at the biggest tertiary hospital in Muscat, the capital of Oman to explore their experiences and how they confronted the COVID-19 pandemic challenges during their internship period. Result: The data was analyzed through qualitative manifest content analysis and disclosed different experiences which were framed into four contexts: Introductory Nurses Plan, Hospital Environment, Nurses Characters and Nurses Families & Relatives. The negative experiences were mainly related to the intense internship requirements, non-availability of the preceptors, hospital environment and COVID-19 circumstances. On the other hand, the positive experiences were mainly related to their self-motivation, recruitment satisfaction, and family encouragement and support. Conclusion: Clear nurses’ lack of knowledge towards COVID-19 pandemic was disclosed and associated with mixed emotional insights towards themselves, their families and relatives, their preceptors and towards the hospital environment including their preparatory plan. The study identified the nurses’ stressors and motivators that could be addressed with a clear need for preparatory adjustments to support newly employed nurses in future appointments with a lot of involvements shared responsibilities and implications.