Through the Lens of the Social Determinants of Learning™: Experiences of Online Prenursing Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND Prenursing students represent the future pipeline of nursing students, yet their perceptions of how COVID-19 affected their experience as prenursing students are unknown. METHOD Short-answer data (n = 289) in US prenursing students were collected in fall 2020. Deductive thematic analysis was applied according to the social determinants of learning (SDOL™) framework. RESULTS Participants verbalized fears of contracting COVID-19 (physical health) and difficulties with stress and anxiety (psychosocial health). Participants shared pandemic-related financial challenges (economic instability), changes in living situations (physical environment), and the lack of hoped-for social connections (social environment). Many struggled with focus; others confirmed their goals (self-motivation). CONCLUSION The SDOL framework can be utilized by educators to conceptualize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of online prenursing students and leveraged to develop targeted interventions to improve students’ well-being as they apply to nursing programs.