The Impact of COVID-19 within Academic Settings: A High-Speed Pivot

In a high-speed pivot never seen before in post-secondary education in Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic upended every facet of academia. Almost overnight the system transitioned to remote teaching, empty campuses and research stoppages. Nursing school administrators were asked to make hundreds of decisions daily to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff while maintaining education standards. Several months into the pandemic, circumstances are still far from normal as we continue to expect the unexpected and prepare to be nimble agents of change in the months ahead. This commentary outlines my observations as a faculty member during the past few months.