Caring for Patients From a School Shooting: A Qualitative Case Series in Emergency Nursing

INTRODUCTION: Emergency nurses are at risk for secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout as a result of witnessing the trauma and suffering of patients. The traumatic events perceived as being most stressful for emergency nurses involve sudden death, children, and adolescents. Multicasualty, school-associated shooting events are, therefore, likely to affect emergency nurses, and recent reports indicate an increase in multicasualty, school-associated shootings. This research is necessary to learn of emergency nurses’ experiences of caring for patients from a school shooting event in an effort to benefit future preparedness, response, and recovery. This manuscript describes these experiences and provides opportunities for nurses, peers, and leaders to promote mental health and resilience among emergency nurses who may provide care to patients after such events. METHODS: A qualitative case series approach, a theory of secondary traumatic stress, and the compassion fatigue resilience model guided the research. The emergency nurses who provided care to patients who were injured during a 2018 multicasualty, school-associated shooting in the Southeastern United States were invited to participate. RESULTS: The themes identified by this research with 7 participants were preparation and preparedness, coping and support mechanisms, and reflections and closure. DISCUSSION: The results identified through this research may be translated to policies and practice to improve emergency nurses’ welfare, coping, resilience, and retention. Patient outcomes may also be improved through planning and preparedness.