When Community Immersion Becomes Distance Learning: Lessons Learned From a Disrupted Semester

Abstract

Community immersion is an effective way of bringing concepts to life while nursing students are engaged with community members in the real world. Opportunities to apply, observe, and clarify abstract health promotion ideas, including social determinants of health, abound when seen in everyday interactions with individuals outside of an acute care setting. This article details the experiences of a community immersion class as it responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and had to transition mid-semester from an in-person course to a virtual format. Lessons learned from this unique experience provide a case for how to minimize disruptions to a health promotion class, maintain existing commitments with different community organizations, and adapt meaningful engagement to community needs during the pandemic.