Oncology Advanced Practice Nurses’ Memorable Patient Care Experiences: A Qualitative Analysis

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe oncology advanced practice nurses’ (APRNs) experiences caring for memorable patients, the meaning derived from patients’ experiences and the influence patients have had on their careers. This study builds on work describing the meaning of oncology nursing practice. Methods/Results: Oncology APRNs (N=66) participating in an NCI funded ELNEC course responded to 3 open-ended prompts/questions: (1) Share a story about a memorable patient, (2) Why do you think the memory of this patient is meaningful to you? (3) How do you think caring for this patient has influenced your nursing career? A thematic, qualitative analysis of their responses identified several key themes including: (1) Lessons learned: Usually profound, occasionally resulting in career altering impact. (2) Admiration: Admiration for patients’ kindness, grace, strength, hope and courage through terminal illness. (3) Delivery of high-quality palliative care: The foundation for deep connections and mutually beneficial relationships between APRNs and patients. (4) Challenges: Clinical scenarios involving APRNs feeling like they failed; staff distress, trauma, or grief. Conclusions: Oncology nurses described early nursing career experiences of patients as the greatest teachers and shared invaluable and transformative lessons learned about what it means to be human in the face of serious illness.