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Dissertation
Leading Change Amidst COVID-19: A Narrative Study of Respiratory Care Managers
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
28 Sep 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000576
Abstract
Most healthcare institutions have Respiratory Care (RC) Departments within their mid-level management structure. RC clinical mangers support frontline Respiratory Therapists (RTs) and other healthcare professionals. RTs are healthcare professionals who provide care for patients alongside doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals focusing on providing curative care, promoting patient recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased need for adaptive frontline respiratory practices and end-of-life-care (EOLC). RC managers are sandwiched between the change mandates of senior leadership and the needs of frontline RTs. These RC managers are on a daily basis exposed to the emotional tolls of implementing change compounded by the overall systematic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative research was to understand how RC managers led during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how they supported their team members and managed their well-being and emotional response to the crisis. Three overarching research questions guided this study: (1) What stories are shared by Respiratory Care managers about their home and work-life during the COVID-19 pandemic?; (2) How do these RC managers describe leading during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis response?; and, (3) How do these managers describe the state of their personal well-being after dealing with the first year of the pandemic?Narrative inquiry methodology aligned with the research study's purpose of exploring the stories of RC managers to gain intimate knowledge of how their leading of RT teams during the pandemic was affecting their well-being, relationships, and emotional response. Four results emerged from the research findings: (a) the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted vital healthcare resources necessitating increased work demands for the Respiratory Care managers; (b) mitigating the risk associated with COVID-19 both at home and at work is impacting the Respiratory Care managers overall wellbeing; (c) Respiratory Care managers leading during COVID-19 experienced physical and emotional impacts on their overall well-being, increasing their risk of developing burnout and compassion fatigue; and (d) Respiratory Care managers need to focus on self-care and develop self-care practices that enhance their overall well-being. This study's conclusions highlighted the physical and emotional implications of leading during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the need to focus on self-care practices. As SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate, RC managers are still waiting for their moment to exhale. Keywords: respiratory therapy, crisis leadership, pandemic, adaptive leadership, COVID-19
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Details
- Title
- Leading Change Amidst COVID-19
- Creators
- Mandy Joyce Harshberger
- Contributors
- Kathy Dee Geller (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xv, 180 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991015606366604721