In the beginning of the spring semester, I was excited for the classes that I was going to be taking. However, when we were notified of the pandemic and switching to virtual learning, I was extremely upset and feared that I wouldn’t get the same nursing experience and education as others. I believe that the faculty did a great job switching to virtual learning, especially with the new changes in technology.

In the beginning, I was not comfortable with online instruction because nursing classes are challenging and aren’t meant to be completely online. Completing the Spring semester virtually was a complete adjustment and challenge. For me, it was more challenging to stay disciplined in my studies because it is very easy to become distracted while staying home. Another challenge for me was trying to find quiet places to study and complete my work with no distractions because the school, libraries, and restaurants were closed. The last challenge I experienced was not being able to attend tutoring sessions due to the pandemic.

In the beginning, I was extremely disappointed that I wasn’t receiving the full nursing student experience due to everything being virtual. However, I am extremely grateful for how Loewenberg’s faculty adjusted their curriculum to become more suitable for virtual learning and ensure that we were still getting a good experience. I was able to adjust to virtual learning better by using a planner to stay on top of my tasks and adjusting my daily schedule to fit my new school schedule.

Social distancing and the pandemic protocols have affected my learning. I am no longer available to study in groups with my friends due to social distancing. In addition, a lot of the study rooms are no longer available due to the pandemic protocols. However, I do feel safer with the new protocols in place such as requiring mask and face shields.

Unfortunately, the pandemic changed the way we experience nursing clinicals. Instead of going to clinical every week for the semester, we are limited to going three times per semester and rotating between on campus simulation and self-study. Although our experience has changed, I believe that I can speak for all students and say that we are grateful for the three off campus rotation experiences that we get! Because some schools don’t get to experience this.

Being in nursing college during the pandemic is extremely humbling because we are steps away from filling in the shoes of those that are currently working the nursing frontlines caring for those in need. As far as a level of expertise, I believe that LCON is doing an excellent job in keeping us educated by giving us great detail on the pandemic, teaching us how to protect ourselves and others by staying safe, and by preparing us for what is to come in the future.