Abstract:
Thirty-four registered nurses enrolled for the postgraduate emergency
nursing programme at the Department of Nursing Science at a university in
South Africa (SA), starting in February 2020. The programme consists of a
theoretical and a practical component. Typically, learning and teaching occur
through face-to-face contact for four hours per week in the classroom, and
work-integrated learning (WIL) comprises 32 hours per week. The lecturer
and clinical facilitators accompany students in an emergency department
for at least three hours per week for ~28 academic weeks. Students have
specific clinical learning outcomes to master during the WIL. On 15 March
2020, the SA Government declared a national state of emergency in respect
of the COVID‑19 pandemic. Tertiary education activities came to a halt and
face-to-face contact was replaced with online activities – a new challenge for
both students and lecturer.
