The effect of individual problems experienced by nurses struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey on their professional development and investigation of the process resulting from this situation

While working in disaster or crisis situations such as a pandemic is satisfying, especially for healthcare professionals, from a service point of view, the mental health of the patients they care for, their relatives or colleagues suffer from severe illness or witness the death process negatively. affect or cause psychiatric trauma. In this context, nurses, who are at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and provide 24-hour care to patients, are at psychological risk. Anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, stress responses to secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue are common psychological and social problems for frontline nurses during this crisis. It is important for nurses to be aware of the symptoms of psychiatric illness, to cope with physical and psychological stress, to receive support in personal self-care and professional self-care in order to protect their mental health. In cases where preventive measures are insufficient, it may be recommended to get the support of colleagues, to inform the responsible persons in the workplace, to develop an action plan and to receive professional psychiatry support. During the fight against the pandemic, it has become inevitable for the nurses, who are always at the forefront of the healthcare team, to face many problems due to staying away from their families during this process, not being able to take annual leave, working overtime and spending time in environments where there is a risk of contamination.The fact that nurses came to the point of psychological exhaustion during this period prevented them from making future plans for their profession. In addition, being away from the closest family members and working continuously without getting support has brought with it the state of burnout. In some studies, it is known that nurses have concerns about the future of their profession, and they think about quitting their profession instead of making plans for professional advancement. The invitation of retired nurses to their duties in Turkey and in different countries of the world proves this claim. Within the scope of this study, the effect of the individual problems experienced by nurses who are struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in Turkey, on their professional development and the process arising from this situation were tried to be examined. Keywords: Health, Pandemic, Covid-19 Pandemic, Nurses, Psychology, Future Anxiety, Nursing Profession