ApiI 20t2 - Angeles

The Lived Experience of Pioneer Neuroscience Nurses in the tr'irst Head Injury Unit in Central Luzon: A Heuristic Inquiry

A Thesis

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Holy Angel University

In Partial Fulfillment

of

the Requirements for the Degree

of

Master of Arts inNursing

THERESA GAY DIMACALI

-j)*rrNCo

ApiI

^20t2

Lived experiences ofneuroscience nurses in ahead injuryunit ¹

HOLY AI\GEL UNIVERSITY

The Lived Experience of Pioneer Neuroscience Nunses in the First Head lnjury Unit in Gentral Luzon: A Heuristic lnquiry

THERESA GAY DIMACALI

-

^CALINGO

Master of Arts in Nursing ABSTRACT

The purpose

of

this research was

to

investigate

the

lived experience of neuroscience nurses in the first Head lnjury

Unit of Central Luzon. Qualitative research

^design,

specifically heuristic inquiry, was adopted for this study. Six neuroscience

nurses, including the

researcher, were purposefully chosen

to

participate

in this study.

Data analysis using Moustaka's method ^yielded five themes. The themes are: 1) The Only Certainty

is,

it's

an

Opportunity, describes the reason why nurses accepted the ^position in

the

unit,

in

which collectively,

they

have little knowledge about neuroscience nursing, yet their decision was more on

the

opportunity

it will ^provide,

especially

in terms

of employment;

2') Little

Knowledge,

Great

Expectations, depicts

the

initial struggles

of the

nurses

to

perform their

tasks and face the

expectations

of other health

care providers,

despite their little

^knowledge

and lack

of confidence; 3) What Makes

it

Complex, Makes

it

Unique, explains that

the

complexity

of the

unit

is

what makes it unique than

the

rest;

4)

Lack

of

Resources is

a

Problem, emphasizes on the most common difficulty encountered ^by

the

nurses

in

performing their tasks;

and 5)

Staying for Stability, Hoping for Equality, focuses on the reason for the nurses' continued stay in the unit. Aside from the learning and experience, it ^is the employment itself that makes them stay and feelings

of not

receiving equal rewards

for

their work also are echoed ⁱⁿ this theme.