Final-Year Nursing Students' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Background: The transitional experience from final-year challenges individuals' professional and personal identities. Multiple studies have documented the experiences of FYNS graduating in the pandemic, but no studies have synthesized the findings. Method: This scoping review examined the barriers and facilitators FYNS experience as they transitioned to become NGRN during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Databases were searched for relevant articles, and articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2019 and 2021 that focused on the support of FYNS in clinical settings in North America, Europe, and Australia were included. Results: Three themes were identified: emotional turmoil and coping, clinical competence and readiness for practice, and teaching strategies. Conclusion: This review revealed important insight on how the pandemic affected FYNS' transition to practice and identified gaps in the literature for future research.