The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nursing Education Programs

Background: The U.S. Boards of Nursing (BONs) collect annual report data from their nursing programs as part of their approval process. This paper highlights the 2020 and 2021 annual report data on the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on all nursing programs in 17 BONs in 2020 and 19 in 2021. Method: Nursing programs answered 16 questions on the effect of COVID-19 on their programs. Because BONs require annual report data, all programs in the participating states answered the questions, which included 798 programs in 2020 and 929 in 2021. Results: Major disruptions in nursing education occurred during the pandemic. Clinical experiences and didactic classes were greatly affected, though alternative strategies were used. Student and faculty attrition rates were particularly high in 2021. Conclusion: The authors call for a national forum where nurse leaders analyze what happened and make recommendations for future crisis events.