Fidelity of implementing a competency‐based nursing programme during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A case study

AIM: The study describes the fidelity of implementing a competency‐based nursing education (CBNE) programme during the COVID‐19 pandemic in a low‐resource setting. DESIGN: A descriptive case study research design integrating mixed methods underpinned by the fidelity of implementation framework was applied to assess teaching, learning and assessment during the COVID‐19 pandemic. METHODS: A survey, focus group and document analysis were applied to collect data from 16 educators, 128 students and eight administrators of a nursing education institution and accessing institutional documents. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and deductive content analysis and packaging the outcome of the study according to the five elements related to the fidelity of implementation framework. RESULTS: The fidelity of implementing the CBNE programme was satisfactorily maintained as described in the fidelity of implementation framework. However, sequenced progression and programmatic assessments were not aligned with a CBNE programme within the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This paper proposes strategies to enhance the fidelity of implementing competency‐based education during educational disruptions.