Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences
Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences

The Experiences of Nursing Internship Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Nasrin Dadashi 1
Marzieh Pazokian 2
Mahmood Motamedzadeh 3

1 Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Clinical Research Development Unit of Loghman Hakim Hospital, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Nursing, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

10.34172/jqr.2023.10
Abstract
Background: Nursing internship is a vital period for the formation of professional identity and development of clinical competency of nursing students, which has undergone extensive changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to explain the experiences of nursing internship students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.
Methods: This qualitative-descriptive study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. Data were collected 
through semi-structured interviews. Participants included 15 nursing internship students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran, who were selected using purposive sampling. The interviews continued until data saturation. The trustworthiness of the data was ensured using Lincoln and Guba’s criteria. Data were analyzed via MAXQDA (version 10).
Results: Data analysis led to the identification of two themes: (1) Paradoxes in clinical education path (with two categories including impaired learning and effective clinical education) and (2) Psychological pressure in patient care (with two categories including student protection and safety concerns and disruption of professional interaction).
Conclusion: The present study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for clinical nursing education that will affect professional competency in the future. Therefore, educational administrators must take into account the experiences of students as the main stakeholders in clinical education planning.

Highlights

Nasrin Dadashi (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Marzieh Pazokian (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Mahmood Motamedzadeh (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Keywords

Nursing
Internship
Students
COVID-19
Qualitative research

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Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences
Volume 12, Issue 2
Summer 2023
Pages 60-67

  • Receive Date 02 March 2022
  • Revise Date 05 November 2022
  • Accept Date 22 November 2022

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