Nursing experience during COVID-19 pandemic in Korea: a qualitative analysis based on critical components of the professional practice models

BACKGROUND: Nurses have an essential role and responsibility to work at the forefront of patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the press and public have praised the dedication of nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several points to consider for nursing professional development. The purpose of this study is to collect the experiences of the nursing profession in the COVID-19 pandemic through interviews, seek improvements for the development of the nursing profession, and suggest directions for the future. METHOD: This qualitative study adopts semi-structured interviews analyzing the nursing experience of the COVID-19 pandemic based on the professional practice models (PPMs). Ten nurses with at least two years of working experience and thorough work changes in the COVID-19 pandemic from various settings have participated in the study. RESULTS: We identified thirty-nine problematic codes and nineteen improvement codes which mapped to 12 key concepts and corresponded to 6 constructs of the PPM model. CONCLUSION: Nurses had to take on tasks beyond their duties in urgent situations, which restrained nurses from concentrating on their work. Clarifying working boundaries is fundamental for collaborative care and independent nursing practice. Collaboration and communication among healthcare workers based on mutual understanding can create a respectful working environment. Although there were many difficulties due to the uncertain situation, we can find that the nursing profession can make achievements through systematic and organizational support for sticking to the basics of nursing, securing technical expertise, cultivating critical thinking, and developing various professional attributes. In this way, the establishment of roles based on professional values and duties and the ascertainment of clear boundaries for nursing will ultimately help to improve the quality of patient care. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-01072-0.