Travailler au quotidien dans une maison de soins palliatifs pédiatriques : une expérience source de sens, au-delà des difficultés éprouvées

The aim of this study was to describe and analyze, from the employees' perspective, the characteristic elements of their work at the Maison André-Gratton, the first children's hospice in Quebec. Participatory qualitative methodology was used to accomplish these objectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 employees, three group interviews were also carried out, and finally, one of the researchers was a participant observer in 14 staff support groups. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the information gathered. The results show that employees simultaneously experience realities that appear contradictory, but that translate the complexity of their daily lives, or indeed the many struggles arising from their work in a children's hospice. Four themes strongly emerge, embodying the contradictory tensions that exist: 1) witnessing, on a daily basis, very trying situations associated with the realities of the sick children and their parents, but also deriving satisfaction from giving and receiving; 2) coping with heavy responsibilities and demands, but also enjoying a certain degree of professional freedom to act; 3) dealing with the many tensions associated with teamwork, but also feeling involved in a collective process that is both innovative and democratic; 4) respecting a rigorous and effective work framework, but also growing professionally in a home-like environment. In discussion, links are established between the results obtained and three theoretical premises of the psychodynamics of work.