Nursing faculty experiences with emergent remote teaching transitions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic led to lockdowns and other social distancing measure. Nursing education programs were also disrupted and moved online. However, information and understanding of nursing faculty members’ experiences of the emergent transition from didactic to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. Therefore, this qualitative systematic review aimed to synthesize qualitative studies on nursing faculty members’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods Eight qualitative studies published between January 2020 and the end of December 2023 in the United States were selected from five electronic databases and synthesized based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and Thomas and Harden thematic synthesis methods. This study was reviewed and registered in PROSPERO. Results Eight primary and empirical qualitative studies published between 2021 and 2023 were included. The included studies were conducted in various regions of the United States and involved nursing faculty members working in nursing programs. Based on the experiences of 230 nursing faculty members, five common themes were identified: (1) concerns about changes in traditional nursing pedagogy, (2) overwhelmingly heavy workloads, (3) acceptance of and coping with the pandemic, (4) the need for continuous and various forms of support, and (5) opportunities for the improvement of nursing programs. Conclusions These themes can be utilized by educational administrators to reidentify the challenges that nursing faculty face and to reform nursing education programs as well as nursing educational associations and institutes to improve current teaching and direct new learning methods to prepare for future pandemics.