Abstract
Introduction
To understand the experiences of emergency nurses who have returned to work after
parental leave, specifically relating to the return to work transition, work-life
balance, work engagement, and opportunities to continue human milk expression.
Methods
Nurses (N = 19) were recruited from 5 emergency departments within 1 hospital system in the
United States Midwest. Nurses (n = 11) were eligible to participate in a one-on-one interview if they had returned
from parental leave within 6 months of the interview date. Nurses (n = 8) were eligible to participate in a focus group if they had returned from parental
leave within 2 years of the interview date. Interviews were structured and data collection
concluded when researchers believed data saturation was reached. Interviews were audio
recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s qualitative
thematic analysis 6-phase framework.
Results
Three major themes from the data were identified: (1) work engagement, (2) lactation,
and (3) childcare. Work engagement was broken down into the subthemes: lack of communication,
perceived engagement expectations, and actual engagement. Lactation was broken down
into the subthemes: the act of pumping, lactation breaks, and lactation rooms. The
coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact on return-to-work is described under each
major theme.
Discussion
Our findings provide insight into the unique challenges and experiences of nurses
navigating parental leave and return-to-work in the emergency department. Strategies
such as provision of managerial check-ins, return to work reorientation, lactation
break coverage, enhanced supplementary lactation support, and leadership-provided
accommodation may lighten the burden of these challenges and improve the returning
nurse’s job satisfaction.
Key words
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Biography
Emily K. Hill is Lead Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator, Clinical Research Unit, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL. ORCID identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7291-2461.
Biography
Olivia M. Bimbi is a Clinical Nurse, Emergency Department, Northwestern Medicine; and a PhD student, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL. ORCID identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7568-3385.
Biography
Natasha Crooks is an Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0178-2844.
Biography
Ryan Brown is a Clinical Nurse, Emergency Department, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Member, Illinois ENA.
Biography
Angela B. Maeder is an Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL; and a Clinical Nurse, Labor and Delivery, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL. ORCID identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0335-714X.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 18, 2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
