Preparedness of Nursing Graduates to Work in Healthcare Facilities During Pandemic Outbreak

Background: The concept of preparedness for nursing practice encompasses a combination of clinical, cognitive, and functional skills. Students taking on the role of a nurse are positively impacted by the overlap of these characteristics. Therefore, the present study was conducted with an aim to ascertain how well-prepared Nursing Graduates are in terms of their knowledge to work in healthcare facilities amid COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study used an exploratory survey design. 305 Nursing Graduates were chosen using the purposive sampling technique of various Nursing Colleges. The tool has two sections: a) Sociodemographic and Clinical Experience of the Participants and b) Structured knowledge questionnaire. Result: Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the study data. The study showed primarily (82%) of sample fall into the Average category, suggesting a moderate degree of knowledge regarding preparedness in terms of knowledge to work in healthcare facilities amid COVID 19 pandemic, some of participants (18%) possessed poor knowledge indicating a lower level of awareness while none of the respondents had good knowledge. The study revealed poor awareness of Nursing Graduates particularly about preventive measures related to COVID- 19. Conclusion: The study indicated lack of knowledge among Nursing Graduates to work in healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and hence has sparked concerns the adequacy of graduating student nurse’s pre-paredness to work in healthcare facilities which may put the patient's life in jeopardy. Therefore, Nursing Graduates must receive extensive educational preparation on pandemic situation before beginning their careers.