Disturbances of nursing students in internship during emerging disease COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of the study was to examine the experiences of nursing students in internship during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A qualitative study. METHODS: Purposeful sampling was conducted among undergraduate nursing students at Tabriz School of Nursing in November 2021. Students participated in 14 in-depth open-ended interviews and stated their experiences and opinions on internships during the COVID epidemic until full data saturation. Data analysis was performed using the conventional content analysis method. This study followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist. RESULTS: Findings were extracted and classified into five main categories, including a lack of facilities and equipment, psychological disturbances, physical risk, disturbances in education and learning activities and movement to continue clinical learning in the situation. CONCLUSION: Nursing students in clinical training during the COVID epidemic have experienced physical and mental health issues, as well as educational challenges. During an infectious disease epidemic period, education administrators should adopt appropriate strategies to protect students' health and facilitate their educational and learning activities.