Background: The learning process for nurses, including internships, was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have made the nurse internship program more challenging and stressful for participants. Therefore, it is significant to explore the experiences of nurse interns during COVID-19. Aim: This study aimed to explore Saudi nurse interns’ field experiences during the pandemic. Design: The study utilised descriptive phenomenological qualitative research and a thematic approach. Methods: A total of 19 nurse interns participated in the study, which was conducted in Saudi Arabia. Participants undertook an internship program at different government hospitals in five cities in Saudi Arabia. Unstructured individual interviews were conducted to gather data from the participants. Results: The findings revealed five themes: being passionate, lacking knowledge and skills, being concerned about their families, being cautious, and being unoriented. Conclusion: The study findings document that the struggles of nurse interns in their internship programs during COVID-19 were related to their lack of knowledge, their family, and the working environment.

Background: The effects of COVID-19 on the attitude of student nurses toward the nursing profession remain unclear because few studies have been conducted on this topic. Thus, this study examines the influence of the psychological effects of COVID-19 on student nurses’ attitudes toward the nursing profession and their desire to become nurses. Method: The study utilised a quantitative, cross-sectional, and observational design. It surveyed a convenience sample of 726 student nurses in Saudi Arabia during the first semester of the 2021–2022 academic year. Results: The students reported low levels of COVID-19 fear, anxiety, stress, phobia, and obsession. The students reported positive attitudes toward the nursing profession and 86.0% highlighted their desire to continue with nursing as their future profession. Gender, knowing someone infected with COVID-19, confidence in the government’s pandemic response, fear, anxiety, and phobia were significant predictors of the nurses’ attitudes. Community, family members in the profession, “COVID-19-related anxiety”, and “preference for the nursing profession” were significant predictors of the student’s desire to continue nursing. Conclusions: Living in a rural community, having family members in the nursing profession, having low levels of COVID-19-related anxiety, and having positive attitudes toward nursing increased the likelihood of nursing students continuing their nursing careers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study examines the association of readiness for interprofessional education on nursing students' caring behavior and compassion competence. Method: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The Interprofessional Readiness Scale, Caring Behavior Scale, and Compassion Competence Scale (Arabic version) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using T-test, F-test, Spearman Rho, and multiple regression analysis. A total of 417 nursing students participated in the study using convenience sampling. Result: The study found that student nurses have highly perceived interprofessional education, caring behavior, and compassion competence. The study result shows that interprofessional education influences student nurses' caring behavior and compassion competency. The factors that influence interprofessional education are gender and student general percentage average. The respondents' residence influences their caring behavior, while gender influences the compassion competence of student nurses. Discussion: These results suggest that interprofessional education is a crucial factor in promoting positive characteristics and skills among student nurses, and further research should be conducted to determine the best methods for incorporating interprofessional education into nursing programs.

This study assesses the psychometric properties of the Bullying Behaviors in Nursing Education Arabic (BBNE-A) version when used among nursing students. We adopted a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study design and selected a convenience sample of 189 nursing students in a governmental university in KSA. We utilised an online survey to collect data between January and March 2020. The item-level content validity index and scale-level content validity index utilising the averaging method were used for content validity. The Cronbach's alpha and the intra-class correlation coefficient for the test-retest reliability were used for statistical analysis. We performed a principal component analysis with varimax rotation for construct validity. ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests were utilised to determine the association of variables. The analysis revealed three distinct factors explaining 59.7% of the variance. The overall Cronbach's alpha of BBNE-A was 0.886. The three factors ranged from 0.716 to 0.847. For the test-retest reliability, the ICC of the overall scale was 0.939. There was a significant difference in the BBNE-A overall scores in different years of study (F = 3.57, p = .030). A significant difference was also observed in the BBNE-A scores regarding positions in the family. In our study, the BBNE-A demonstrated acceptable content and constructed psychometric properties. This tool can be utilised to accurately assess the bullying behaviours experienced by nursing students in KSA. The results can provide a basis for developing an anti-bullying guideline to make an optimistic, harmless clinical learning milieu in promoting nursing students’ self-esteem and professional engagement.

This multi-disciplinary, cross-sectional, and descriptive study investigated health care students’ face mask use knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) and social distancing attitudes. The study was carried out from October to December 2021 and surveyed 543 health care students selected via convenience sampling from the three Shaqra University campuses in Saudi Arabia. Standard multiple linear regressions were conducted on face mask use KAP and social distancing attitude to identify their significant associated factors. The students in this study had poor knowledge and a neutral attitude towards and modest use practices of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being female, being a nursing student, and having greater self-reported COVID-19-prevention knowledge were related to higher levels of face mask use knowledge. Having higher face mask use knowledge was linked to better attitude and practice. Knowledge of COVID-19 and its prevention and decreased COVID-19 risk perception were associated with better face mask use practices. The students had more positive than negative attitudes toward social distancing. Having known someone who was infected by the virus, lower risk perception, and better face mask use practices were associated with more positive social distancing attitudes. The findings imply the need to ensure that future health care practitioners are knowledgeable, have a positive attitude and good practices concerning face mask use, and have positive attitudes toward social distancing. The study implications are relevant for health care education in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.