"Returning beyond cancer"-a journey of professional reinvention for nurses.

PURPOSE

Nurse cancer survivors (NCSs) face significant challenges in adapting to returning to work (RTW) and require special attention and support. Little is known about the meaning NCSs attribute to their work, the changes in their personal feelings, and their needs in coping with these changes after RTW. This interpretive phenomenological study aimed to explore NCSs' feelings and experiences after RTW in greater depth to help improve their quality of working life (QWL).

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 NCSs in China between March 2023 and August 2023. The transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

RESULTS

The data was categorized into four themes: (1) psychological odyssey, (2) accessing social support, (3) benefiting from professional background, and (4) realization of professional values.

CONCLUSION

This study uses IPA to explore the work experiences of NCSs and ways to improve their QWL. It is recommended that managers pay attention to the psychology of their RTW, enhance support, encourage the use of professional strengths, and value their insights and professional development.