Nursing Students' Experiences of Role Transition in the Internship Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The internship course is an essential component of the nursing undergraduate program. This study was aimed to explore nursing students' experiences of role transition in the internship program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This qualitative study was conducted on last semester’s nursing students practicing in an internship course during the COVID-19 pandemic at Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran from February to June 2021. The internship BSc nursing students were selected by a purposive sampling that reached 12 students by achieving data saturation.

The findings included 5 categories of psychological challenges, unsuitable professional support and supervision, self-centeredness and independence, mandatory restrictions, and acquiring a professional identity.

The internship curriculum must be planned and supervised in a nursing education program by faculty authorities to prepare senior nursing students to enter the workplace, not only for their career retention but also for their actual growth/development in any workplace.