Nursing students’ experiences of adapting to clinical practice in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: This study was performed to explore and describe the overall clinical practice adaptation experiences among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This qualitative study applied the grounded theory method by Corbin and Strauss. Data were collected from May to August 2021 through individual in-depth interviews with 14 nursing students from three universities in B metropolitan city.Results: From open coding, 20 sub-categories and 10 categories were identified. Analysis revealed that the core category was the process of “keeping the place of learning while adhering to the restrictions of the era of pandemic” and that it consisted of four phases: confusion, withdrawal, adjustment, and growth. Through this process, participants utilized various action/interactional strategies such as “shifting to positive thinking,” “building a shield to protect oneself,” and “focusing on learning.” The consequences of these strategies were “adapting to the reality of the infectious disease situation” and “strengthening a foothold to grow as a future nurse.”Conclusion: An in-depth understanding of nursing students’ experiences of adapting to clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic will guide nursing educators to promote effective teaching strategies to better support nursing students in a time of infectious disease crisis.

Korean Nursing Students’ Experiences of Virtual Simulation Programs Replacing In-Person Mental Health Nursing Practicum during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Our results are supported by previous findings, that the flexibility and autonomy offered by virtual simulation practicums allowed for active involvement and repeat learning, increasing satisfaction with the practicum [ 5 , 17 ], and nursing students participating in online classes during the COVID-19 situation showed improved an academic performance and self-efficacy as a result of the flexible learning environment and learner-centered practicum [ 1 , 37 ]. During online learning, participants in this study engaged actively without fear of harming the patient; moreover, repeat learning, enabled by the lack of time and spatial constraints, allows for self-directed learning and boosts the learning motivation [ 5 , 7 , 37 ]. The participants in this study were able to focus on repeat learning through the virtual simulation without being burdened by the concern of harming the patient, and they were able to correct the errors in their nursing interventions, thereby facilitating learning.…”

“…As the unprecedented health crisis had disrupted the clinical practicum training, the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing (KABON) issued guidelines for conducting on-campus practicum courses as an alternative to the in-person practicum [5]. Based on the government's guidelines, nursing schools adopted various measures for education, infection control, and conditions at the clinical Healthcare 2024, 12, 685 2 of 17 practicum sites to find a substitute for their clinical practicum [6,7], including virtual simulation programs, simulation model practicums, nursing skills videos, and case presentations via live video conferencing [8]. Mental health nursing practicums are designed to provide nursing students the competence to develop positive therapeutic relationships with people experiencing mental disorders through communications training [9].…”

Barriers to Learning Healthcare-Associated Infections Prevention and Control during Clinical Practicum among Nursing Students in Korea: A Focus Group Study

“…Past qualitative studies on HAI prevention and control among nursing students explored their overall experiences in patient care in COVID-19 care units [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] or their experiences in adapting to clinical practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic [20,21]. As these studies present only the general experiences of nursing students in the unique COVID-19 situation, it is necessary to investigate the barriers to learning HAI prevention and control during clinical practicum to propose the direction of education on this topic.…”

Types of perception toward non-face-to-face clinical practice among nursing students

“…그러나 지난 3년 동안 대유행이 지속된 코로나바이러스감염증 -19 (코로나19)는 질병 이환율과 사망률을 높임과 동시에 사회경 제적으로도 큰 혼란과 부담을 야기하였다 [5,6]. 또한, 코로나19 대유행은 교육 분야에도 부정적 영향을 초래하였는데, 학생들은 교육과정에서 요구되는 다양한 경험 및 평가의 기회를 가질 수 없었다 [7].…”

“…또한, 코로나19 대유행은 교육 분야에도 부정적 영향을 초래하였는데, 학생들은 교육과정에서 요구되는 다양한 경험 및 평가의 기회를 가질 수 없었다 [7]. 특히, 임상실습은 미래 간호 전문인력을 양성하는 간 호대학에서 큰 비중을 차지하지만, 환자와 학생 안전을 고려한 정부 방역지침에 따라 임상실습이 잠정 중단되거나 비대면 방식 의 온라인 실습으로 진행되었으며 [6] 대상자의 인식과 관점을 파악하기 위한 전통적인 방법으로는 심층면담과 포커스 그룹 인터뷰를 활용하는 질적 연구와, 태도 조사 연구를 위해 설문지를 활용하는 방법이 있다 [2]. 국내에서 코로나19 유행 시기 동안 비대면 임상실습 경험을 탐색한 질적 연구들 [11][12][13]과 온라인 실습 교육 프로그램 효과 측정 연구들 [3,14,15]이 수행된 바 있다.…”