title: [A phenomenological study of the shift change experiences of clinical nurses in Taiwan].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The process of changing shifts requires that clinical nurses engage in critical communication and interaction activities. Little research has examined the shift-change phenomenon. How Taiwanese nurses interpret their lived shift-change experiences deserves further exploration.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study explores the meaning of the shift-change experiences of nurses in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hermeneutic phenomenological design was used. Data from interviews, participant observations, and field notes were analyzed. Twenty-six nurses with shift-change experience volunteered in a snowball sampling process. Data were collected using in-depth interviews. Hermeneutical analysis was used to explain the meaning of the nursing shift-change experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The shift-change experiences of participants revealed their existential meaning and struggles toward self-transformation, adaptation, and self-settlement for survival. The meaning of the shift-change experience of clinical nurses in Taiwan are characterized by three themes: (a) 'A relay for accomplishing collective nursing goals', (b) 'An associated duties to be carried out jointly', and (c) 'An experience transmission as well as power practice'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study highlights the cultural implications and existential meaning of the clinical shift change experience to nurses in hospitals in Taiwan. These findings provide a better understanding of the nursing shift-change experience in terms of both practical issues and nurses' perceptions. Findings may be used to improve in-service training programs and to suggest solutions to problems encountered during the shift-change period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, HungKuang University, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Huei-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: I-Ching
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Changhua Christian Hospital, Lu-Tung Branch, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, ROC. min@kmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Min-Tao
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D009726:Nurses; D013624:Taiwan; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance
keywords: interpretive phenomenology; lived experience; nurses’ adaptation; nursing culture; shift change