LAUSR

Abstract Aim To explore pre‐nursing students' experiences and identify factors influencing their well‐being as learners during COVID‐19. Design A qualitative descriptive design was used. Methods Short answer study data (n = 289) were collected in Fall 2020 as part of a larger IRB‐approved survey‐based study focused on pre‐nursing students. Participants were presented with three short answer questions designed to elicit a description of their experiences as a pre‐nursing student. NVivo and reflexive thematic analysis were used to analyse participant responses. Results Six themes related to learner well‐being emerged from the data. Learner well‐being was supported by achieving academic goals, experiencing positive feelings about current course content, creating connections with peers and envisioning themselves as nurses in the future. Negative contributors to pre‐nursing student well‐being included managing fears of program rejection and juggling multiple roles and demands. Online learning necessitated by COVID‐19 created opportunities for loneliness and isolation from peers, technological difficulties and additional psychological stress, which also contributed negatively to learner well‐being. Conclusion These findings illustrate pre‐nursing students' experiences and provide support for the influence of the learning environment and factors within the individual on the well‐being of learners. Impact Students preparing to apply to nursing programs are an understudied population and little is known about their well‐being as learners. Survey‐based open‐ended short answer questions can be utilized to gain rich insight into their experiences. The study themes and sub‐themes can be utilized for discussion and reflection in courses with pre‐nursing students and as a starting point for additional conversations between pre‐nursing students and educators regarding improving the support of well‐being in learners. Additional research and evidence‐based interventions that promote learner well‐being in pre‐nursing students are needed as they prepare for nursing program admission and to support their academic progression. Patient or Public Contribution Members of the public were not involved in the design or conduct of the study, analysis, or interpretation of the data, or in the preparation of the manuscript because the study focus is on gaining an understanding the experiences of pre‐nursing students and their well‐being.