Sister, Give Me Your Hand: a Qualitative Focus Group Study on Beliefs and Barriers to Mammography Screening in Black Women During the COVID-19 Era.

AIMS/PURPOSE: To evaluate current day challenges and beliefs about breast cancer screening for Black women in two diverse northeast communities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the USA. Although Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they suffer a higher mortality. Early detection of breast cancer can be accomplished through routine screening mammography, yet the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mammography screening barriers and perception in minority communities is uncertain. METHODS: Five focus group interviews were conducted as the first phase of a mixed method study across two heterogeneously diverse locations, Camden, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. RESULTS: Thirty-three women participated in this study; sixteen women were recruited at the New Jersey location and seventeen at the New York location. Only two thirds of the women stated that they had received a mammogram within the last 2 years. The major themes were binary: I get screened or I do not get screened. Subthemes were categorized as patient related or system related. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings on factors that affect breast cancer screening decisions during the COVID-19 era include barriers that are related to poverty and insurance status, as well as those that are related to medical mistrust and negative healthcare experiences. Community outreach efforts should concentrate on building trust, providing equitable digital access, and skillfully addressing breast health perceptions.

The Lived Experiences of New Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Contributions to Nursing Education and Professional Development.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on new nurses' transition to the staff nurse role in hospital settings. New staff nurses were not prepared to care for COVID-19 patients based on their previous nursing education. Method A qualitative descriptive design with purposive sampling was used for this study. Twenty-nine new nurses were recruited. They were interviewed using a semi-structured guide to elicit data that were coded and analyzed using content analysis. Results Five themes were identified: "You might have to risk your own life to save others," "I wish I had developed a thicker skin," "There is real world and there is nursing school," "Learning how to handle your own mental health," and "What I would tell them." Conclusion New nurses described their preparedness from baccalaureate education to clinical practice as insufficient in certain areas that were needed in the care of COVID-19 patients. Nurse educators who teach in pre-licensure and hospital orientation programs can revise or expand on the themes voiced by new nurses in order to improve their transition to the staff nurse role. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(10):451-459.].

Challenges faced by new nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 can be considered a unique and complex form of trauma with potentially devastating consequences for nurses in general and new nurses specifically. Few studies have been published that explain how relatively new nurses were prepared for COVID-19 in terms of knowledge and skill and how these nurses fared physically and emotionally. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design utilizing purposive sampling to recruit a diverse group of nurses who were within 2 years post-graduation from nursing school. METHODS: In-depth interviews of 29 nurses were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide to elicit data, which was coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six main themes and multiple subthemes were identified in the data. The main themes were: "We were not prepared," "I was just thrown in," "Avoiding infection," "It was so sad," "We did the best we could," and "I learned so much." CONCLUSION: The nurses who participated in this study expressed fear, weariness, exhaustion, isolation, and distress, observations echoed by studies from other countries. Retention of new nurses in acute care settings has always been a concern. In the recent Current Population Survey, a 4% reduction in nurses under 35 years of age has been reported, imperiling the retention of an effective workforce for decades to come. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A recent report suggests that a larger than expected number of young nurses have left the profession in the wake of the pandemic. Staff shortages threaten the ability of the remaining nurses to do their jobs. This is the time to listen to the needs of new nurses to retain them in the profession and to avoid an even greater shortage in the near future.