Student Interviews Exploring the Influence of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Graduate Nursing Education

INTRODUCTION: Advanced practice nurses are needed to fill the primary healthcare gap in the United States. Advanced practice/graduate nursing students were profoundly affected by the coronavirus pandemic in ways that may impact their educational experience. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on the educational experience of graduate nursing students. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study using semistructured video conferencing interviews of 11 graduate nursing students at one university in the United States was conducted during July 2020. Data were explored using theme analysis. RESULTS: Four themes expressing the pandemic's impact on graduate student experience were identified: Alteration in human connections; Agility in action; Collaborative construction of change; and Metamorphosis emerging from disruption. The pandemic brought an alteration in how students connected with faculty, other students, and family. Many faculty and students responded with agility to the new mandates for social distancing. The students and faculty worked together to construct changes needed to provide the students with the required components of graduate education. These factors together created a metamorphosis in the functioning of the institution, breaking through hierarchical barriers in academia. CONCLUSION: The disruption in graduate nursing education due to the pandemic led to opportunities, including swift faculty innovation, a collaborative spirit between faculty and students, and new appreciation for connections with faculty and fellow students. Continuing intentional implementation of these opportunities would benefit students’ experiences moving forward.