Influence of COVID‐19 on the next generation of nurses in the United States

Abstract

Aims/Objectives Examine the affective state (anxiety, depression), life satisfaction, stress and worry, media consumption and perceptions of pursuing a career in nursing amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background Nursing students worldwide have reported increased stress, fear and anxiety amidst challenges and risks associated with COVID‐19. It remains unclear what impact COVID‐19 will have on nursing students in the United States (US) as they prepare to enter the workforce. Design Cross‐sectional study of undergraduate nursing students at one university in the Northeastern United States. Methods Students (N = 161) completed an online survey (July 2020) about health and life satisfaction, affective state (depression, anxiety), stress and interest in pursuing nursing. Descriptive statistical analysis described sample and quantitative data. Linear regression was used to examine whether media consumption, stress, affective states predicted interest in pursuing a nursing career. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied to the open‐ended question, ‘How has COVID‐19 influenced your interest in pursuing a nursing career?’. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist was used to evaluate methodological quality. Results Mean stress score was 56.6 (range 0–100), 55.6% of respondents felt unsettled about the future, and 68.2% reported feeling overwhelmed. 18.7% of students reported moderate to severe anxiety, 19.8% reported moderate to severe depression and 54.4% reported that COVID‐19 influenced their interest in nursing. Six themes emerged from qualitative analysis: no change, reaffirming/confirmatory, importance of nursing, reality check, positive influence and negative influence. Conclusions Universities/colleges and nursing faculty should prioritise universal mental health assessment for nursing students and enhance mental health services to support and monitor this population. Relevance to clinical practice Mental health services to support nursing students are warranted in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Reduction in nursing workforce may have significant impacts on staffing ratios, patient outcomes, nurse burn‐out and other aspects of clinical care.

Dietetics Students' Perceptions of Academic and Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Health professions students such as nursing, physical therapy, premedical and medical, and dental students have been particularly affected. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Education and training programs for health professions students often include clinical rotations, internships, and shadowing requirements in hospitals, longterm care facilities, and community settings.…”

“…These training experiences are necessary to build students' confidence and develop competent clinicians; however, many in-person educational experiences were suspended in spring and fall 2020. The combination of an unexpected transition to remote learning, the overwhelm of the health care system, and the general stress of the pandemic impacted health professions students' academic experiences and mental and physical health 14–18…”

“…Health professions students such as nursing, physical therapy, premedical and medical, and dental students have been particularly affected. 14 – 20 Education and training programs for health professions students often include clinical rotations, internships, and shadowing requirements in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community settings. These training experiences are necessary to build students' confidence and develop competent clinicians; however, many in-person educational experiences were suspended in spring and fall 2020.…”

“…The combination of an unexpected transition to remote learning, the overwhelm of the health care system, and the general stress of the pandemic impacted health professions students' academic experiences and mental and physical health. 14 – 18 …”

The mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between psychological stress and distress among chinese nursing students: a cross-sectional study

“…Nursing students who liked the nursing profession experienced significantly less perceived pressure than those who did not, aligning with existing research results. Although the COVID-19 outbreak has caused nursing students to feel uneasy about their future, it has not dampened their interest in pursuing a career in nursing [ 50 ]. In addition, the perceived stress level of nursing students who wanted to pursue nursing was significantly lower than that of nursing students who did not want to pursue the profession after their graduation.…”