Nursing Students’ Views on Distance Education During The Covid‐19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This research was conducted to evaluate nursing students’ views on distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted with 415 nursing students who volunteered to participate in the study between December 25, 2020 and February 25, 2021. The data were collected with the information form developed for the study. Results: As a result of this study, it was reported that nursing students may be inadequate in the field when they graduate due to distance education (M=4.12) and that distance education during the pandemic will not contribute enough to their professional knowledge and skills (M=3.96). They stated that they want a pandemic and disaster management course to be added to nursing education (M=3.84) and that simulation laboratories should be established for clinical practices during the pandemic (M=4.05), that their safety should be ensured during clinical nursing practices (M=4.07) and that they want to use personal protective equipment while performing these practices (M=4.13). Conclusion: As a result of this study, it was concluded that distance education negatively affected nursing students’ professional knowledge and skills, and they felt inadequate in terms of their profession.A hybrid education model can address challenges in nursing education during the pandemic, with theoretical courses conducted remotely and practical skills taught through face-to-face or virtual simulations. An effective infrastructure should support educational materials, videos, interactive content, and simulations. Individual mentoring can be provided for challenging theoretical topics. Additionally, collaborations with international nursing schools can help share educational content on various cultures and healthcare systems.