Introduction: Health systems have been exposed to innumerable challenges by COVID-19.
The present study aimed to detect nursing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2021; 26 subjects were selected using the
purposive sampling method and interviewed. Data saturation was reached after analyzing the
data collected from 26 semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using the
content analysis approach with MAXQDA software version 10.
Results: Three main themes and some subthemes were extracted: “Managerial challenges,”
“Educational challenges,” and “Individual challenges”. Some managerial challenges
encompassed the following subthemes: lack of adequate workforce and equipment, nontimely
payment of claims, and employment of non-specialist personnel instead of nurses.
Educational challenges encompassed the following subthemes: virtual training, lack of
training, lack of training on commitment to the profession, lack of training to work in
particular wards and training in dealing with critical patients. Furthermore, some individual’s
challenges contained the following subthemes: decreased job motivation, fear of illness,
stress, and anxiety.
Conclusion: An analysis of the themes and subthemes in this study indicated that there were
managerial, educational, and individual nursing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is, therefore, recommended that policymakers and senior managers of the health system
formulate and implement programs at the micro- and macro-levels to address the detected
challenges.