Clinical research article

Intensive care nurses’ practice related to experience and shift worked

To analyse the social representations of nurses about intensive care practices comparing the variables 1) time since graduation and 2) shift worked.Qualitative field research using social representation theory. Individual interviews were conducted and lexical analysis was applied.Intensive Care Unit of a federal hospital with 21 clinical nurses.Day shift nurses are more pragmatic and operationally oriented because they deal directly with the general functioning of the unit. Less experienced nurses face difficulties dealing with intensive care contexts, but have a critical view of their practices, while more experienced nurses apply practical knowledge in their decision-making and actions.The relationship of proximity or distance from patients, mediated by technology, is related to the domains of knowledge that are required to manage technology and to the role technology plays in intensive care.