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The process of learning and professional development according to nursing students' experience during Covid-19: A
Sara Russo1, Federica Dellafiore2, Ida Vangone3
1Nursing Degree Course, University of Pavia, Section Istituti Clinici di Pavia e Vigevano S.p.A., Pavia, Italy.
Aim:
This study explored the experiences of nursing students with respect to learning processes and professional development during internships with COVID-19 patients to build a novel theoretical model.
Background:
The COVID-19 outbreak had a profound impact on the worldwide learning system and it interrupted the internship experiences of nursing students. After the second wave of COVID-19, to balance academic activities with COVID-19 containment, some Italian universities allowed nursing students' internships in COVID-19 units. This new experience may have influenced nursing students' learning processes and professional development, but this is yet to be investigated.
Design:
A qualitative study using a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach.
Methods:
Nursing students were recruited from two hospitals in northern Italy between January and April 2021. Data are gathered from interviews and a simultaneous comparative analysis were conducted to identify categories and codes, according to Charmaz's (2006) theory.
Results:
The sample consisted of 28 students. The results suggested the core category, that is the 'Students' sense of belonging to the nursing profession' and four main categories: (1) From knowledge to know-how, (2) A new relationship modality, (3) Sharing and socialisation and (4) Responsibilization. Finally, a premise and a corollary, respectively (5) Motivation and the (6) Circularity of the process, were identified.
Conclusion:
Our study proposed a new theory of nursing students' learning processes in clinical contexts during internships with COVID-19 patients. Despite significant difficulties, the nursing students developed a unique learning process characterised by motivation. Therefore, our study provided insight into the learning process during a pandemic and investigated the support needed for nursing students to continue their internships.
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