Abstract
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health care systems globally. To understand how health care systems can best support frontline health care providers caring for patients in similar situations, it is necessary to gain insights into their experience. PURPOSE: This quality improvement study explored the lived experience of Canadian frontline medicine nurses caring for COVID-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic. METHOD: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach was conducted. Forty-three eligible nurses participated in semistructured interviews and online surveys. Full transcription and thematic content analysis were performed. RESULTS: Three overarching themes were deduced: (1) a traumatic experience, (2) living through the experience, and (3) achieving transcendence. CONCLUSION: Several recommendations were identified. These recommendations aim to aid health care systems in emergency preparation planning and future pandemic responses while supporting frontline health care providers' resilience and well-being.