Degree Name
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Program
Nursing
Date of Award
8-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Sharon Loury
Committee Members
Jean Hemphill, Teresa Carnevale, Sandra Thomas
Abstract
When COVID-19 was diagnosed on the Navajo Nation, the impact on the people and the healthcare system was not understood. For almost three years, Navajo healthcare workers battled what was known to the Navajo as Dikos Nitsaaígíí Náhást’éíts’áadah, translated as The Big Cough. The Navajo Nation President, Jonathan Nez, referred to it as a Monster, as did many people in the Navajo Nation. Navajo nurses on the frontlines battled the monster daily as they saw friends and relatives succumb to the insidious disease. Much has been written about nurses off the reservations working on the frontline during the pandemic. However, to date, there has been no published research about the lived experiences of Native nurses.
This study was conducted using a research method inspired by Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s existential phenomenology philosophy to describe the lived experiences of Navajo nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses were recruited from the Chinle Comprehensive Healthcare Center, an Indian Health Services Hospital in Chinle, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. The question, “What were your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic?” was asked of four nurses who worked with patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic. Their responses were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were then analyzed, and themes were developed. Four figural themes were noted during the analysis: 1) Body: Exhaustion/ Kinship, 2) Time: Building Defenses/The Invasion of Yeʼiitsoh, 3) Others: Deaf/Ally/I can still see her, and 4) World: Taboo/Loneliness/Faith. The overarching theme was: Discord/Strength. The elders were the keepers of the language, traditions, and prayers; they were also the ones at highest risk of dying. To support the rigor of the study, the researcher employed the steps of bracketing, peer evaluation of data, data saturation, and the resonance of participants’ voices through quotes. The findings of this study will contribute to the existing literature on the experiences of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, will open the field of literature on the experiences of Indigenous nurses, and provide direct insights into the experiences of Navajo nurses. It will also have implications for the education of non-native providers and nurses in cultural sensitivity, and unlocking valuable information to identify health system structures required to lessen the impact of healthcare-related trauma on Indigenous nurses.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Leeson, Stephnie Ann, "The Lived Experiences of Navajo Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4587. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4587
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
American Studies Commons, Family Practice Nursing Commons, Other Nursing Commons, Public Health and Community Nursing Commons
