Stronger Together: The Student Experience During the Onset of COVID-19

This study examined the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on nursing students. The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis qualitative approach was used to analyze alternative assignments added during the Spring and Summer 2020 courses. Participants included nursing students at the baccalaureate, master, and doctoral levels.

Stress and anxiety emerged as the prevalent theme. Fear was the second most prevalent theme; however, no doctoral students cited fear as a concern. All three cohorts cited a sense of duty and dedication to patient care.

All of the participants reported similar concerns and emotions that influenced them at the onset of the pandemic. Baccalaureate students' emotions were associated with concerns about working conditions and the safety of themselves and loved ones. The master of nursing students' emotions were reflective of the moral and ethical components of patient care. The doctoral students embodied the transition to advanced nursing practice and implications for future practice. [.