'Both assistant and specialist': Nurse Anaesthetists' experiences of being relocated during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of nurse anaesthetists being relocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design: The study has a qualitative design.Methods: A total of 12 nurse anaesthetists from four different hospitals were included. Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews and then analysed using content analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used.Results: The 12 respondents, of whom three were men, were between 46 and 64 years old and had 7 to 30 years of experience as NAs. Two themes emerged in the analysis: (1) 'Diverse experiences' with the sub-themes 'Preparedness' and 'Insecurity' and (2) 'Both assistant and specialist' with the sub-themes 'Exhausting' and 'Meaningful'.Conclusion: This study shows that the NAs competencies made them prepared to handle many of the situations. They also experienced situations where they were uncomfortable being pressured to take responsibility. They were regarded as a uniform group without considering their prior experiences. Mapping the personnel's former experiences is required to utilize best possible matching of personnel to assignments and create less stress and insecurity among them.