Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore how university school administrators navigated preparing undergraduate registered nursing students for practice in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining self-care.Theoretical Framework. The two theoretical frameworks that guided this autoethnographic study were the professional quality of life model and strategic leadership. The professional quality of life model discusses the negative and positive effects people in caring professions can experience. Strategic leadership helps align leaders to perform at their best, to be future-focused, and to help anticipate problems that may arise.Methodology. For this study, I used an autoethnographic approach to answer my three research questions: (a) What factors contributed to my perseverance as an academic administrator during the COVID-19 pandemic? (b) What was the personal cost of being an administrator during the COVID-19 pandemic? (c) In what ways did I incorporate strategic leadership theory during the COVID-19 pandemic? I participated in two interviews and used personal journals and other documents to collect the data.Findings and Conclusions. After analyzing the data, I developed four themes relating to my leadership in a time of crisis. They were (a) responsibility, (b) resiliency, (c) health, and (d) lessons learned. The findings of my dissertation discuss the necessity for leaders to have crisis plans in place to prepare them for when the inevitable crisis arises while protecting and maintaining their own physical and mental well-being.Recommendations. University leadership should explore how nursing faculty manages a crisis situation like the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study could assist nursing school administrators in the support of their faculty during any crisis situation. Additionally, schools of nursing should incorporate crisis management and self-care into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. The addition of this curriculum would better prepare new nurses for practice by providing them with how to navigate a crisis when it happens while protecting themselves.