The Experience of the Nurse Manager During the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Epidemic

Control role of nurse managers is very important in crisis. To gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of nurse managers during the MERS epidemic. Interviews were conducted with ten nurse managers who cared for patients with MERS. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. Nine categories were derived from 30 theme clusters: confusion from being exposed in an unprepared state; difficulty in managing as the infection became a disaster situation; anguish from being a nurse manager in the MERS outbreak; disappointment towards the views of colleagues and third parties; resentful of the family-oriented culture of Korea; gratification from leading the nurses by demonstrating their abilities as a nurse managers; pride from the crisis situation coming to an end; gained confidence about their ability to manage a crisis, and sense of relief from policy changes and a broader perspective after the MERS epidemic. Nurse managers felt relieved that they were able to overcome the confused crisis situation and make policy changes at the national level. Based on the findings, further research is needed to explore the crisis management leadership of nurse managers.