Incidentes críticos envolvendo graduandos de Enfermagem durante a Pandemia de COVID-19

Introduction: The academic environment is considered stressful for students. Knowing the changes in teaching-learning activities and their impacts has become essential to redirect new ways of interacting and facing such adverse situations. Thus, one of the ways to evaluate a situation experienced is by drawing parallels between the behaviors and feelings generated, through the critical incident technique (TIC). Objective: To identify critical incidents (situation, behaviors and feelings) related to academic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Descriptive study based on the critical incident technique. The students were recruited via e-mail to inform the characterization items; they were asked to remember an academic situation and report it, listing the behaviors experienced and the feelings that originated. Results: Among the 24 situations, most portrayed the accumulation of tasks, difficulty in dealing with a new way of teaching, difficulties in adapting teachers and students to the strategies used regarding the overlapping of academic and domestic activities. Regarding the behaviors, lack of dialogue, difficulties in adapting activities and acts of understanding were mentioned. As for feelings, the positive ones were gratitude, understanding, feeling of support, learning, happiness; as for the negative ones, anxiety, sadness, anguish and physical fatigue stand out. Conclusion: This study identified critical incidents of nursing students during the pandemic. The data indicate that students experienced great stress during the period, but the impacts on professional training require further studies. Descriptors: Nursing; Teaching; Behavior; Pandemics; Adaptation, Psychological