THE GATES OF HEAVEN: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF PEDIATRIC NURSES CARING FOR TERMINALLY-ILL CHILDREN Author(s) and Name(s)

and Institution(s): Bacsain, Karen Ivy B., Badillo, Jann Romeo I., Badiola, Anna Trisha L., Badion, Patricia Camille A., Bagunas, Jackie Lynn S., Bahia, Rochelle T., University of Santo Tomas College of Nursing End-of-life care is an emerging nursing specialty and is developing a dedicated spot in the field of pediatrics. In the past, most end-of-life care programs have focused on the adult population. Pediatric end-of-life care has become a topic of increasing study and discussion in the health care area. However, little is known about the lived experiences of Pediatric nurses caring for terminally ill children. This study aims to explore about the lived experiences of Pediatric nurses who are involved in end-of-life care. It made use of descriptive phenomenology as the research approach. An unstructured interview was used in gathering experiences from 12 Filipino Pediatric nurses working in one of the tertiary hospitals in Quezon City, who have at least 2 years working with terminally ill children. Colaizzis phenomenological method was then used to analyze the data. The statements from the interview were then grouped into clusters, from where the themes emerged. A total of 161 initial codes and 9 cluster findings were found which formed 3 themes which are as follows: a.) Entering the Childs World, b.) Engaging with the Family and c.) Establishing Resilience. The Gates of Heaven Phenomenon was formed from these themes. To conclude, this study was able to determine that a lot of factors are in constant interplay during the interaction between the terminally ill pediatric patient and the nurse. The researchers recommend further studies to be conducted in exploring the phenomenon regarding the lived experiences of Pediatric nurses caring for terminally ill children to focus into the experiences of those nurses who are parents themselves and to those who do not have children, the differences in experiences between male and female nurses, as well as the differences between working in a charity or private ward, to allow in-depth exploration of the wholeness of the phenomenon. Key terms: Pediatric Nurses, End-of-Life Care, Palliative Care, Pediatrics, Terminally Ill Children