Researching the Emotions Behind Nursing Care

I changed my research question about twenty times in the last two weeks.  But thanks to Google Scholar and random search words I think I found a question that will stick.  My question involves researching the emotions behind nursing care, like vulnerability, self- compassion, courage, etc.  One of the best articles I found on this subject was an article entitled “The Meaning of Vulnerability to Nurses Caring for Older People.”  This article discussed the theme of vulnerability in nursing care for older people and six subthemes of vulnerability.  The six subthemes of vulnerability are: having feelings, experiencing moral indignation, being harmed, having courage, protecting oneself, and maturing and developing.  Each of these subthemes contributed to vulnerability as a whole and aided in describing this nursing care.  The nurses interviewed described this vulnerability as a healthy, essential part of their job but also as a burden.  They described it as a burden because vulnerability opens you up to hurt and harm.  But it was claimed that denying vulnerability and adopting defense mechanisms could lead to quicker burnout in nurses. 

            I hope this and many more articles will help me explore this area of nursing life.  I am excited to learn more about the profession that I one day hope to be a part of.