Redeployment Among Primary Care Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

• Published in: SAGE Open Nursing
• Main Authors: Julia Lukewich RN, PhD, Donna Bulman RN, PhD, Maria Mathews PhD, Lindsay Hedden PhD, Emily Marshall MSc, PhD, Crystal Vaughan RN, MN, Dana Ryan MA, Emilie Dufour RN, PhD, Leslie Meredith MEd, Sarah Spencer MSc, MPH, Lauren R. Renaud MA, Shabnam Asghari MD, PhD, Cheryl Cusack RN, PhD, Annette Elliott Rose RN, PhD, Stan Marchuk DNP, MN, NP(F), FAANP, Gillian Young MSc, Eric Wong MD, MClSc(FM)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2024
• Subjects: Nursing; RT1-120; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241262143; https://doaj.org/article/8844425924554645a3e47919b57b141b

Introduction: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care nurses were often redeployed to areas outside of primary care to mitigate staffing shortages. Despite this, there is a scarcity of literature describing their perceptions of and experiences with redeployment during the pandemic. Objectives: This paper aims to: 1) describe the perspectives of primary care nurses with respect to redeployment, 2) discuss the opportunities/challenges associated with redeployment of primary care nurses, and 3) examine the nature (e.g., settings, activities) of redeployment by primary care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care nurses (i.e., Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, and Licensed/Registered Practical Nurses), from four regions in Canada. These include the Interior, Island, and Vancouver Coastal Health regions in British Columbia; Ontario Health West region in Ontario; the province of Nova Scotia; and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Data related to redeployment were analyzed thematically. Results: Three overarching themes related to redeployment during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: (1) Call to redeployment, (2) Redeployment as an opportunity/challenge, and (3) Scope of practice during redeployment. Primary care nurses across all regulatory designations reported variation in the process of redeployment within their jurisdiction (e.g., communication, policies/legislation), different opportunities and challenges that resulted from redeployment (e.g., scheduling flexibility, workload implications), and scope of practice implications (e.g., perceived threat to nursing license). The majority of nurses discussed experiences with redeployment being voluntary in nature, rather than mandated. Conclusions: Redeployment is a useful workforce strategy during public health emergencies; however, it requires a structured process and a decision-making approach that explicitly involves healthcare providers affected by ...