Abstract
- The year 2020 brought the world the Coronavirus and the resulting pandemic. A large contingent of registered nurses (RNs), working as essential workers, were also attending classes in online accelerated programs (OAPs) to earn their BSN degree. During an active pandemic, attending school as a working RN, can be overwhelming. This study aimed to identify student stressors in an OAP RN-BSN program, and make adjustments in coursework to decrease academic stress while improving student success. A Qualtrics survey was distributed to 1,992 active RN-BSN students to identify the student’s “biggest challenges or stressors”, and 302 students responded listing 1,105 stress responses and elaborations. The survey included some academic suggestions by faculty to alleviate course stress. Students commented on the usefulness of suggestions and proposed additional ideas. Compassionate interventions were employed in each core nursing course. After 2 terms a post-survey was conducted to evaluate effectiveness. A total of 276 students participated in the post-survey, with 778 responses to interventions. Findings show the importance of faculty vigilance in assessing cause for declines in academic performance. Using an inquiring approach and flexibility to adapt coursework while maintaining student learning outcomes is possible and can play a significant role in student success.