[Objective] To compare the perception of students, teachers, and senior nurses regarding the practical nursing skills of nursing students whose clinical practice was restricted due to COVID-19, and to consider support for new nurses.
[Method] Individual and group semi-structured interviews were conducted from December 2021 to March 2022 among three groups: students who will become new nurses in 2022, teachers in the basic education course, and senior nurses who are responsible for training new nurses. We analyzed their perception of the nursing practice skills of students and new nurses, and compared the extracted categories, focusing on commonalities and differences.
[Ethical considerations] This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of University A. The subjects were given an explanation, and signed the written consent explanation form.
[Results] All three groups felt that clinical practice was restricted during COVID-19, and felt a desire for further growth as nurses. However, there were differences between the groups in their view of the students’ abilities and future possibilities. Students and senior nurses tended to fear that the nursing techniques and communication skills necessary for care were underdeveloped, while teachers found potential in the students’ ability to think outside the box of clinical practice—particularly demonstrable in the substitute practical training—and in the students’ willingness to learn even with limited clinical training opportunities, and tended to be optimistic about the long term.
[Discussion] As all three group had the growth of nurses as a priority, trainers communicating their perceptions and prospects regarding the potential abilities of nursing students might be useful for supporting new nurses.
