The COVID-19 pandemic has had a deleterious impact on the lives of nurses who work in long-term care; however, the moral conditions of their work have been largely unexamined. The purpose of this qualitative study, therefore, was to explore registered practical nurses’ (RPNs) experiences of the moral habitability of long-term care environments in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four themes were identified: (1) Striving to meet responsibilities in a failed system; (2) bearing the moral and emotional weight of residents’ isolation and dying in a context of strict public health measures; (3) knowing the realities of the work, yet failing to be heard, recognized, or supported by management; and (4) struggling to find a means of preservation for themselves and the profession. Attention to the moral habitability of RPNs’ work environments is necessary to achieve a high-quality, ethically attuned, and sustainable nursing workforce in long-term care.

This planning study was designed and conducted in a predominantly rural Canadian province to examine the strengths and learning needs of four categories of nursing staff practising in New Brunswick nursing homes. Participants included directors of care, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and resident attendants. The nursing homes ranged in size from 38 to 196 beds and were located throughout the province. In health and planning studies, ethnography conveys a coherent statement of peoples' local knowledge as culture-sharing groups (Muecke, 1994). The study derived information from the Nursing Home Act, reports, the literature, key informants, and direct observations of and interviews with participants. Leadership strengths defined the roles for categories of staff and supported the capacity of each category to identify their learning needs. In conclusion, nurses practising in nursing homes can and must take an active role in decision making for their learning.