Connecting lived experiences of pre-nursing students during COVID-19 with learner well-being: A qualitative inquiry.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Urban, Regina W. Jennings, Leslie A. Darr, Kendall
Abstract	AbstractAimTo explore pre‐nursing students' experiences and identify factors influencing their well‐being as learners during COVID‐19.DesignA qualitative descriptive design was used.MethodsShort answer study data (n = 289) were collected in Fall 2020 as part of a larger IRB‐approved survey‐based study focused on pre‐nursing students. Participants were presented with three short answer questions designed to elicit a description of their experiences as a pre‐nursing student. NVivo and reflexive thematic analysis were used to analyse participant responses.ResultsSix themes related to learner well‐being emerged from the data. Learner well‐being was supported by achieving academic goals, experiencing positive feelings about current course content, creating connections with peers and envisioning themselves as nurses in the future. Negative contributors to pre‐nursing student well‐being included managing fears of program rejection and juggling multiple roles and demands. Online learning necessitated by COVID‐19 created opportunities for loneliness and isolation from peers, technological difficulties and additional psychological stress, which also contributed negatively to learner well‐being.ConclusionThese findings illustrate pre‐nursing students' experiences and provide support for the influence of the learning environment and factors within the individual on the well‐being of learners.ImpactStudents preparing to apply to nursing programs are an understudied population and little is known about their well‐being as learners. Survey‐based open‐ended short answer questions can be utilized to gain rich insight into their experiences. The study themes and sub‐themes can be utilized for discussion and reflection in courses with pre‐nursing students and as a starting point for additional conversations between pre‐nursing students and educators regarding improving the support of well‐being in learners. Additional research and evidence‐based interventions that promote learner well‐being in pre‐nursing students are needed as they prepare for nursing program admission and to support their academic progression.Patient or Public ContributionMembers of the public were not involved in the design or conduct of the study, analysis, or interpretation of the data, or in the preparation of the manuscript because the study focus is on gaining an understanding the experiences of pre‐nursing students and their well‐being.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC9874577&blobtype=pdf
Page Count	14
ISSN	03092402
Journal	Journal of Advanced Nursing [J Adv Nurs]
Volume Number	79
DOI	10.1111/jan.15475
PubMed Central reference number	PMC9874577
Issue Number	6
PubMed reference number	36285565
e-ISSN	13652648
Language	English
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Publisher Date	2022-10-26
Publisher Place	Hoboken
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This article is being made freely available through PubMed Central as part of the COVID-19 public health emergency response. It can be used for unrestricted research re-use and analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source, for the duration of the public health emergency. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Subject Keyword	COVID‐19 learner well‐being pre‐licensure programs pre‐nursing students qualitative research thematic content analysis
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Nursing