For both existing professionals and students, the unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus on all our lives has meant big changes within the industry. Nurses on the frontline, of course, are most directly affected, with the global community relying on their professionalism, knowledge, and experience as never before.
Today, nurses may be required to work increased hours in riskier environments, with global issues relating to PPE shortages and the rise in COVID-19 variants significant factors within today’s hospitals and healthcare facilities. Additionally, the increased pressure on nurses at all stages of their careers has the potential to significantly affect mental health, leading to job burnout on a grand scale.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has published guidance and resources on its website, helping nurses meet the high professional standards of the Australian healthcare system while looking after their own health at the same time. Additionally, the Nursing CPD Institute encourages any nurses to continue their professional development through their online education platform despite any real-world restrictions that may be in place.
For students, a move to online learning has also represented a significant challenge, both to remaining engaged with study and learning the critical on-the-job skills required within the nursing profession. In Australia, conventional lectures are currently held online, with a significant reduction in face-to-face teaching. This has meant increased interactive and self-directed learning for nursing students.
However, while this means less in-person teaching, it represents an opportunity for student nurses and educational establishments to adapt, with necessity the mother of invention. Today, all types of online study sessions, practical workshops, interactive whiteboards and other technologies are contributing to a new way to study—one that may remain, in part, after the pandemic has ended.
