The purpose of this study was to explore anxiety and stress experienced by first‐semester nursing students and identify sources of support during a transition from a face‐to‐face to an online learning platform during the first months of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This descriptive study used a web‐based survey distributed to nursing students 2 months after the completion of their first semester. The survey questions were adapted from the Anxiety Symptoms Checklist and the College Student Stress Scale. The survey link was emailed to 79 students, with 56 consenting, and 50 completing the survey. The most commonly reported symptoms were difficulty concentrating (90%) and feeling anxious or overwhelmed (84%). Most respondents reported anxiety related to the pandemic, with 84% being concerned about a friend or relative contracting COVID‐19, and with 70% fearful of becoming infected themselves. The majority of respondents expressed concerns related to difficulty handling academic workload (62%), and the need to perform well in school (56%). To decrease anxiety and stress, the faculty should foster a structured learning environment; abide by the course schedule; communicate changes or updates in a timely fashion; adapt assignments to fit the learning environment; utilize campus, local, state, and national resources; practice self‐care; and extend grace.

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During the Spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools of nursing were challenged to change their educational delivery methods from a face-to-face to an online format. This article discusses educational strategies utilized to support clinical competency using an online format for a fundamentals of nursing clinical course. Discussions of regulatory considerations, faculty planning, and teaching pedagogy utilized during this transition are presented. The authors also discuss future implications and suggestions for attaining learning objectives for a clinical course using an online format.

Background: This research examines the meaning of nursing professional identity development from the perspectives of both associate degree nursing students and baccalaureate degree nursing students in their final semester. It provides insight into the student's understanding of nursing professional identity and the factors students identified as supporting or detracting from it. Method: Participants were guided through individual interviews using semistructured interview questions and later invited to focus groups with other students to clarify and elaborate on previous comments. Results: Results demonstrated both groups shared many descriptions of what it means to be a nursing professional, including knowledge, caring, team-work, and integrity. Good communication, confidence, competence, critical thinking, advocacy, and leadership were concepts the participants frequently used to describe the professional nurse. Conclusion: This research helps to further the understanding of this significant topic in nursing education and to serve as a basis for student activities that help foster nursing professional identity formation. [ J Nurs Educ . 2021;60(2):74–80.]

This research focuses on approaches that best support nursing professional identity formation, particularly by providing the insights of nursing students in their own words. This report reflects qualitative phenomenological research on nursing professional development from the perspective of both associate degree and baccalaureate degree student nurses in their final semester of study and describes factors that support or detract from the experience of nursing professional identity development. Participants were guided through individual interviews using semi‐structured interview questions and later invited to facilitated focus groups with other students to clarify and elaborate on previous comments. The approach participants most often described as helping them develop into a professional nurse was clinical experience and the ability to practice independently. It was mentioned far more than the next most common response: role models and mentors. Other methods include reflection, critical thinking, and confidence. This research adds to a limited body of literature on the factors that influence nursing professional identity.