Influence of the Psychological Effect of COVID-19 on Saudi Student Nurses' Attitudes toward Nursing and Their Future Career Plans.

BACKGROUND: The effects of COVID-19 on the attitude of student nurses toward the nursing profession remain unclear because few studies have been conducted on this topic. Thus, this study examines the influence of the psychological effects of COVID-19 on student nurses' attitudes toward the nursing profession and their desire to become nurses. METHOD: The study utilised a quantitative, cross-sectional, and observational design. It surveyed a convenience sample of 726 student nurses in Saudi Arabia during the first semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. RESULTS: The students reported low levels of COVID-19 fear, anxiety, stress, phobia, and obsession. The students reported positive attitudes toward the nursing profession and 86.0% highlighted their desire to continue with nursing as their future profession. Gender, knowing someone infected with COVID-19, confidence in the government's pandemic response, fear, anxiety, and phobia were significant predictors of the nurses' attitudes. Community, family members in the profession, "COVID-19-related anxiety", and "preference for the nursing profession" were significant predictors of the student's desire to continue nursing. CONCLUSIONS: Living in a rural community, having family members in the nursing profession, having low levels of COVID-19-related anxiety, and having positive attitudes toward nursing increased the likelihood of nursing students continuing their nursing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saudi Nurse Interns' Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Thematic Approach.

BACKGROUND: The learning process for nurses, including internships, was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have made the nurse internship program more challenging and stressful for participants. Therefore, it is significant to explore the experiences of nurse interns during COVID-19. AIM: This study aimed to explore Saudi nurse interns' field experiences during the pandemic. DESIGN: The study utilised descriptive phenomenological qualitative research and a thematic approach. METHODS: A total of 19 nurse interns participated in the study, which was conducted in Saudi Arabia. Participants undertook an internship program at different government hospitals in five cities in Saudi Arabia. Unstructured individual interviews were conducted to gather data from the participants. RESULTS: The findings revealed five themes: being passionate, lacking knowledge and skills, being concerned about their families, being cautious, and being unoriented. CONCLUSION: The study findings document that the struggles of nurse interns in their internship programs during COVID-19 were related to their lack of knowledge, their family, and the working environment.

Spiritual climate in hospitals influences nurses' professional quality of life.

AIMS: To assess the nurses' perceptions of spiritual climate of their hospital and to examine how it influences their professional quality of life (ProQoL). BACKGROUND: Despite the advantages of positive spiritual organisational climate on the personal and professional lives of nurses, no study has attempted to investigate the influence of spiritual climate on nurses' ProQoL. METHOD: We surveyed 302 nurses in three general hospitals in Saudi Arabia in this cross-sectional study using the 'Spiritual Climate Scale' and the 'ProQoL scale version 5'. RESULTS: Our findings indicated a modest spiritual climate and average scores in ProQoL. Marital status, religion and education were significant predictors of the nurses' perception of spiritual climate. The spiritual climate, hospital, marital status, nationality, religion, education, experience in the country and experience in the present hospital played multivariate effects on the nurses' ProQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study concludes that the spiritual climate in hospitals influences nurses' ProQoL. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This research provides direction for hospital policymakers and nurse leaders on the areas that could be improved to ensure excellent ProQoL among nurses. Making sure that the nurses' unique spirituality is encouraged, respected and accepted in clinical areas could contribute to improving compassion satisfaction and decreasing compassion fatigue among nurses.

Nurses' Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture in Three Hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: To assess the present patient safety culture of three general hospitals in Saudi Arabia, as perceived by nurses. DESIGN: This study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional design. METHODS: A convenience sample of 351 nurses working in three general hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia was surveyed in this study using the Hospital Survey of Patients' Safety Culture (HSOPSC) from October 2016 to April 2017. RESULTS: From the 12 composites of the HSOPSC, the nurses perceived only the following two patient safety areas as strengths: teamwork within units and organizational learning-continuous improvement. Six areas of patient safety were identified as weaknesses, namely overall perception of patient safety, handoffs and transitions, communication openness, staffing, frequency of events reported, and nonpunitive response to errors. Nationality, educational attainment, hospital, length of service in the hospital, work area or unit, length of service in the current work area or unit, current position, and direct patient contact or interaction were significant predictors of the nurses' perceived patient safety culture. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study clarify the current status of patient safety culture in three hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The present findings should be considered by policymakers, hospital leaders, and nurse executives in creating interventions aimed at improving the patient safety culture in hospitals. A multidimensional network intervention targeting the different dimensions of patient safety culture and involving different organizational levels should be implemented to improve patient safety.