COVID-19 and Burnout in Critical Care Nurses and Their Coping Strategies

Critical care nurses (CCNs) faced an undo amount of stress and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, a large focus of the current research in nursing is related to burnout, job satisfaction, and high turnover rates of these CCNs post-COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study though is to expand on the existing knowledge base regarding these topics and uncover what coping strategies these CCNs used to deal with the stress of nursing during a global pandemic. It was found, from the fourteen participants studied, that these CCNs experienced negative outcomes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These CCNs experienced a variety of negative emotions, including mental exhaustion, burnout, and feelings of unappreciation. CCNs reported not feeling supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some report continuing to feel this way even post-pandemic; however, CCNs continue to utilize positive coping strategies to cope with these emotions.

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