Experiences of baccalaureate nursing students in preceptorship during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this review is to appraise and synthesize current evidence of the clinical experiences of baccalaureate nursing students in preceptorship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introduction: Nursing education programs support quality clinical practice learning experiences, which are essential for preparing students for both the current and future workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the health care system and, previous estimates of the global shortage of nurses have now almost doubled. Understanding nursing students’ clinical experiences during the pandemic can assist with identifying the needs of the future workforce. Nursing students complete the final practicum, also known as the last clinical, internship, or preceptorship, before they are eligible to apply for licensure. This review seeks to explore these pre-transitional, unprecedented preceptorship experiences during COVID-19 to better understand how to prepare pre-licensure nurses for the altered workforce. Inclusion criteria: This review will include qualitative studies that address the clinical experiences of undergraduate nursing students in preceptorship during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 until the present. Methods: The databases to be searched will include CINAHL, MEDLINE, ERIC, Google Scholar, and Embase. Reference lists of included studies will be reviewed to identify additional studies. Gray literature will be searched for via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Google, and GreyNet International. Unpublished studies will be searched for on websites, including those of national associations of nursing. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. The findings will be collated using meta-aggregation to produce comprehensive synthesized findings and a ConQual Summary of Findings. Review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022328303