Nurse educators’ role in fostering self-leadership amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A scoping review

Abstract

Global disruptions, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, have challenged nursing education by necessitating rapid shifts to online learning and requiring educators to support students’ emotional and academic needs. In this context, nurse educators’ self-leadership has become essential for maintaining educational quality and student well-being during periods of crisis. The review utilised the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology to investigate how nurse educators applied self-leadership to modify student support strategies during educational disruption, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 194 records focusing on nurse educators during the COVID-19 pandemic and published between 2020 and 2024, were identified. After screening and duplicate removal, nine articles met the inclusion criteria. The review identifies practices that foster self-leadership and resilience, informing future approaches to support nurse educators in dynamic environments. Five themes described nurse educators’ adaptive strategies: cognitive, emotional, proactive, connected, and committed engagement. Self-leadership empowered educators to adjust teaching methods, provide psychological support, foster resilience, and innovate with digital tools and flexible assessment. Key practices included clear communication, enhanced digital literacy, flexible deadlines, and integrating self-care into teaching. Collegial and student connections and ongoing self-reflection were central to sustaining educational continuity and quality. The unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significance of self-leadership for nurse educators, enabling them to modify their teaching methods and student support practices in rapidly changing circumstances. Fostering self-leadership and resilience is essential for preparing nurse educators for future disruptions, institutional support for self-leadership development and integration of resilience-building into nursing curricula.