THE GENDERED EXPERIENCES OF NURSES IN UNDERSTANDING HOPE IN PALLIATIVE CARE

Abstract

This feminist phenomenological study explored the gendered experiences of nurses in understanding hope in palliative care. Six nurses from a palliative care unit in southern Ontario were purposely recruited for this study. The purpose was to acquire a deeper understanding of and find meaning in the experiential human condition of hope, as understood in the context of palliation. Four themes emerged: The Embodiment of Human Caring: Attending the Physical Body During Palliative Admission; Coming to Know in the Nurse’s Engagement of Hope in Palliation; Stereotypes and Generalizations of Gender and Caring: Moving Beyond our Historical Legacy; From Empathy to Burnout and Back: Cultivating Self-Care Practices to Heal the Palliative Nurse. The study findings will potentially inform the education of healthcare providers working in palliative care, as well as those training in undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and continuing education, particularly when understood in the broader context of evidence related to palliative care.