Final year nursing students' preparedness for medication administration during COVID-19: A multi-site survey study

Aim: To examine final -year undergraduate nursing students' characteristics and their perceived preparedness for medication administration across three universities during COVID-19. Background: Medication administration is a complex process and medication errors can cause harm to the patient. Nurses are at the frontline of medication administration; therefore, nursing students must be well -prepared to administer medicines safely before graduation. Little is known about final -year undergraduate nursing students' perceived medication administration preparedness during COVID-19. Design: A multi -site study using a cross-sectional survey of student demographics, the 'Preparedness for Medication Administration' (Revised) tool and an open-ended question. Methods: The questionnaire was distributed to nursing students in their final semester of the program in 2022 across two universities in Australia and one in New Zealand. Completed surveys n =214. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the demographic data. Differences in demographic data and preparedness scores between the three universities were analysed using ranked means, correlation coefficient, Chi -Square, Mann- Whitney U and Kruskal- Wallace H. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data from the open-ended question. Results: Overall, students reported high preparedness scores for medication. International students reported significantly higher preparedness scores (Md =119, n =29) compared with domestic students (Md =112.00, n =164), U =1759.50, z =-2.231, p =02, r =.16. Mean ranked scores for each item were above average across the three universities. The impact of COVID-19 on curriculum and students' opportunity to practice may be one explanation for the difference in preparedness scores between universities. International participants reported significantly higher scores on the Preparedness for Medication Administration (Revised) tool than domestic participants. Older students were more confident in applying principles of pharmacology to practice. Students' comments generated three major categories and five subcategories indicating preparedness gaps. Conclusion: This study provides insights into students' medication management preparedness during restrictions and before transitioning to the role of Registered Nurse. It highlights the need to provide integrated and comprehensive medication education and assessments throughout the curriculum and the need for additional support for newly graduated nurses in medication management due to the restrictions.