Structure that creates a sense of practical difficulty in pediatric nursing: Clinical experiences of nurses prior to their personal experience of childrearing

Abstract

 This study aimed to elucidate the structures that create difficulties in pediatric nursing by investigating the clinical experiences of nurses prior to their personal experience of childrearing. The subjects were six nurses who worked at a pediatric ward for at least five years prior to and after their personal experiences of raising children. They participated in semi-structured interviews, and the results were analyzed using the KJ Method. The results were organized into seven groups: 1) A sense of affection for children being an essential characteristic; 2) Failure to consider the children’s present environment; 3) Insufficient imagination regarding what it is like to be a mother; 4) Insufficient understanding of children’s individuality; 5) Weaknesses due to lack of childrearing experience; 6) Stance that does not allow mother and child to be prioritized; and 7) Lack of relationship building with mother and child. These groups revealed a structure that could be referred to as the extremes of the nurses’ sense of difficulty. The results suggested that nurses with personal childrearing experience need to play a major educational role in pediatric nursing settings by providing educational support to nurses without such experience, considering weaknesses arising from such a lack.