Nursing students’ self-assessed levels of nursing skills at the time of graduation in a Japanese University during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective observational study

Background and aim: Clinical placements and on-campus practice are the core components of nursing skill acquisition, but the COVID-19 pandemic demanded fundamental modifications in the educational process for the nursing skill acquisition. The purpose of our research was to investigate how students at a nursing university assessed their own levels of nursing skills at graduation, relative to the target levels established by the Japanese government during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This retrospective observational study included fourth-year students in 2020, 2021 and 2022 at the Faculty of Health Science and Nursing, Juntendo University, Japan all of whom had undertaken and completed the required clinical placements. A total of 141 skills required in nursing practice and corresponding target levels had been established by the Japanese government. Following their final clinical placement, students assessed their achieved level for each of the 141 skills.Results: Of the 141 skills, 20 (14.2%) were classified as “skills with difficult-to-achieve targets”, and 64 (45.4%) as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets.” All environmental adjustment skills were classified as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets.” Less than 40% of the nursing skills were classified as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets” in the subcategories of elimination support skills, activity and rest support skills, and respiration and circulation support skills.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult for nursing students to fully achieve the target levels of nursing skills. Nursing students who were forced to lose the opportunity to receive clinical placements and practice nursing skills in their university nursing education may be in serious need for generous support after graduation.