title: Novice nurses' first death in critical care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The curative focus of critical care and the advanced technology may overshadow the fact that critically ill patients die. Research investigating critical care nurses involvement with death has predominately focused on experienced nurses, but these findings may not be applicable to novice nurses. Increasingly, novice nurses are beginning their careers in critical care and there is minimal research describing their experiences with death.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the experiences of novice nurses with their first patient death in critical care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Approval was received by the University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board and the health region's Nursing Division Administration to conduct a qualitative research study. Five nurses, employed in a medical-surgical intensive care unit, participated in the study. Data collection involved an unstructured interview with each participant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the data revealed five themes: anticipating death, transition from life to death, the moment of death, being with the family, and carrying on. These findings are discussed with implications for academic and clinical settings and suggestions for future nursing research.
authors.affiliation: Misericordia Hospital-Covenant Health, Edmonton, AB.
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Profetto-McGrath
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000416:Alberta; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005655:Funeral Rites; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D028761:Withholding Treatment