Insights from a multi-country study: Lessons for future nursing education from community clinical practice amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted adjustments in education, raising concerns about students' competency achievement. Despite these changes, aspects like student engagement (SE), basic needs fulfillment (BNF), and stress levels (SL) in nursing students during community-based clinical practice remain understudied. Objectives: This study aims to examine the relationships between students’ competencies achievement (SCA), student engagement, basic needs fulfillment, and stress levels among nursing students engaging in community-based clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 451 nursing students from Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. Online questionnaires assessing SCA, SE, BNF, and SL were administered between November and December 2021. Results: The study involved 131 participants from Indonesia, 138 from Malaysia, and 182 from India, with an average age of 22.52. Multivariate analysis, employing linear regression revealed that across the three countries, online student engagement demonstrated the strongest association with SCA (B: 0.701; p-value: 0.0001). However, specific factors—stress levels, learning methods, and study year—showed greater relevance in Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, respectively. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted nursing students' teaching and learning experiences during clinical practice. Enhancing online engagement between academic lecturers and students is imperative for attaining clinical competencies.

Keywords

• Pandemic
• Nursing education
• Clinical competence
• Emotional stress
• Engagement