The Perception of Preparedness in Undergraduate Nursing Students During COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of preparedness in nursing students who transitioned to online and virtual learning platforms brought about by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational, nonexperimental research design. METHOD: Data collection was attained through Facebook groups using the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Survey and questions about comfort in nursing skills and multiple patient assignments. The sample size of 103 included nursing students and those with less than two years of experience. RESULTS: As school support during the transition increased, comfort in performing nursing skills improved. As the number of patients within a nurse's assignment increased, comfort decreased. Participants expressed a desire for more hands-on in person education and postgraduate support. With the reduction in clinical hours during COVID-19, Learning Techniques and Trials and Tribulations revealed diminished readiness. Low scores within the Trials and Tribulations subgroup impacted feelings of comfort when performing nursing skills independently. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 dramatically changed how undergraduate nurses were educated. The transition from live didactic instruction and in person clinical experience to online learning and simulated clinical experience impacted nursing students' readiness for practice. As this topic is still evolving, additional research will be needed to fully understand the impact on healthcare.