Objective.

To explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing student education in one public university in Medellin, Colombia.

Methods.

This descriptive qualitative study used content analysis to address the following questions: (1) How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted nursing education at the University of Antioquia? (2) What were the most important challenges experienced by nursing students? (3) What was most supportive for the students during the pandemic? and (4) What were the potential opportunities and lessons learned related to nursing education? Data were collected virtually through individual online interviews with 14 undergraduate nursing students and analysed using qualitative content analysis with constant comparisons.

Results.

Four main categories of findings related to the experience of undergraduate nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: (1) transitioning to online learning, (2) managing the digital world, (3) impacts on clinical training, and (4) work-related stressors. Key challenges included home environments that were not conducive to learning, reduced social interactions with peers and faculty, accessing technology required for online education and insufficient preparation for clinical practice. Family members and university-provided resources were important sources of student support. Whereas the pandemic limited opportunities for hands-on clinical training, the shift to online learning allowed for the development of skills related to informational technologies and telehealth.

Conclusion.

Undergraduate students at the University of Antioquia identified significant barriers to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and transition to online learning, as well as new opportunities for the development of digital skills among both students and faculty.

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