Review of Related Literature

The Impact of COVID-19 Through the Eyes of a Fourth-Year Pharmacy

Student

Abstract
This commentary, written primarily by a recent pharmacy graduate, discusses
the impact of COVID-19 on the class of 2020. Everyone has been impacted by COVID-
19, but pharmacy students have been affected by and experienced COVID-19 in unique
ways. This was the first class to complete pharmacy practice experiences in an online
format, miss out on milestone events including graduation, and face uncertainty about
becoming licensed and entering the job market in the midst of a pandemic. However,
instead of discouraging them, these events have in many ways strengthened the
resilience of the class of 2020. Additionally, COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of
continued advocacy for the profession and articulation of the pharmacist's expanded
role and value to the health care team, and inspired the class of 2020 to join the ranks
of colleagues nationwide in raising awareness in these areas. Nevertheless, uncertainty
over their future and that of their peers lingers as COVID-19 has forever changed
pharmacy education and practice.

Psychological Factors that Lessen the Impact of COVID-19 on the Self-

Employment Intention of Business Administration and Economics’ Students
from Latin America

Abstract
The 2019 coronavirus disease epidemic (Covid-19) is a public health emergency
of international concern and poses a challenge to the labor market. The pandemic has a
devastating and disproportionate effect on young workers, their interest in
entrepreneurship, and their mental health. Research is needed to develop evidence-
based strategies to improve coping and reduce adverse psychological problems. The
objective of this study was to analyze the impact that Covid-19 pandemic perception
and psychological need satisfaction have on university students and their self-
employment intention. In addition, we also analyzed the role of moderation played by
psychological aspects. These psychological factors (i.e., Optimism and Proactiveness)
can also improve young people’s mental health and well-being. Methods: An explorative
study (online survey) was conducted in March 2020 934 university students from Latin
America. Regression analysis models were built to examine the relationships between
Covid-19 pandemic perception, personality variables, and entrepreneurial intention.
Mediation models, through the bootstrapping method, were performed to analyze the
mediating role of proactiveness and optimism. Results: Results indicate that students’
perception of Covid-19 and psychological need satisfaction are associated with
entrepreneurial intention. Additionally, the present study argues that proactiveness and
optimism mediate these relationships. Conclusions: This study identifies psychological
factors associated with a lower level of Covid-19 impact and that can be used for
psychological interventions that result in an improvement in the mental health of these
vulnerable groups during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Theoretical and practical
implications are discussed.

CGS Takes Action to Protect Pathways to Graduate Schools for

Underrepresented Graduate Students During COVID-19

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) announced a new project to examine the

obstacles underrepresented students (URM) have faced in their matriculation,
persistence, and completion of STEM graduate programs in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic. With funding from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rapid Response
Research (RAPID) program, CGS will collaborate with the Council for Opportunity in
Education (COE) and the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools
(CHBGS) to understand challenges currently faced by URM and first-generation students
and provide just-in-time information that will help support their success.
"First-generation, low-income, racially, and ethnically underrepresented (URM)
students have been at greatest risk of educational disruptions during the recent
pandemic," said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. "This means that the modest gains
the U.S. has seen over the past ten years in URM graduate enrollment and degree
completion are in real jeopardy. The insights we will gain from this work will generate
evidence-based resources and policies surrounding admissions, funding, and other
forms of student support."
The new project, Investigating Challenges to Matriculation and Completion for
Underrepresented STEM Graduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, will focus
on four specific areas of research: obstacles to matriculation, obstacles to retention,
challenges to sustaining graduate school aspirations for rising college seniors, and
strategies for graduate school success. The findings will inform graduate student
advising and support structures and guide interventions to broaden URM student
participation in STEM graduate education.
Maureen Hoyler, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education believes
that, "This partnership with CGS presents an opportunity for McNair students and
staff to discuss the changing landscape of graduate admissions because of the
pandemic. Many McNair students were unable to complete their original research
programs due to COVID. Other students have grave concerns regarding financial
support for graduate studies at this time. Our goal is to provide students an
opportunity to get answers for their most pressing questions so as to support their
continued graduate matriculation and completion."
"The Council of Historical Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS) is pleased to partner
with CGS and COE on this project. It is extremely important to seek viable strategies
and best practices that encourage and inspire underrepresented students to pursue and
complete graduate degrees, especially when faced with a myriad of challenges such as
those associated with COVID-19," said CHBGS President Mary E. Owens-Southall, Ph.D.
"The current discussions taking place are essential in that strategies employed during
the upcoming semesters will have a profound impact on enrollment, retention, and
degree completion of these students for at least the next 3-5 years."

Rethinking Graduate Recruitment Weekends in the Digital Age

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Minnesota shifted to a virtual

graduate student recruitment weekend. Herein, we report on a method to conduct a
virtual recruitment weekend using the business communication tool Slack. We discuss
our strategy to share both research culture and the departmental culture at the
University of Minnesota with prospective students. Content creation, Slack channel
curation, and a schedule of events are discussed. Additionally, comparisons to previous
years' acceptance rates demonstrated that the virtual recruitment weekend acceptance
rates were statistically unchanged from previous years, indicating that a virtual
recruitment weekend on Slack is as effective as an in-person recruitment weekend.
Further advantages for using Slack for increasing diversity and decreasing
environmental impacts of graduate recruitment weekends are discussed.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), originated in Wuhan city of
China, has spread rapidly around the world, sending billions of people into lockdown.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus epidemic a pandemic.
In light of rising concern about the current COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of
universities across the world have either postponed or canceled all campus events such
as workshops, conferences, sports, and other activities. Universities are taking intensive
measures to prevent and protect all students and staff members from the highly
infectious disease. Faculty members are already in the process of transitioning to online
teaching platforms. In this review, the author will highlight the potential impact of the
terrible COVID-19 outbreak on the education and mental health of students and
academic staff.
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the lives of many people across the world.
The worldwide rapid increase of infected cases has created a sense of uncertainty and
anxiety about what is going to happen. It has also caused a tremendous level of stress
among the university fraternity, inclusive of students. This stress may
lead to unfavorable effects on the learning and psychological health of students.
International students staying far from home are not only worried about their health,
safety, and education but they also have a huge number of concerns for the
wellbeing of their families. Questions arise: Are universities taking proactive
measures to support the mental health and well-being of students? Do universities have
professionally trained counselors who can understand such students? Students who
managed to go home are worried about being unable to return to their respective
institutions for further studies.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have a serious impact on the careers of this years'
university graduates. They are experiencing major interruptions in teaching and
assessment in the final part of their studies. They may likely graduate late due to the
postponement of the final examination. Further, the graduates are going to face the
severe challenges of the global recession caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
Support Services from the Universities
Universities should establish a task force to plan and deal with the crisis that is
driven by COVID-19. The task force should include members from different areas within
the university such as academics, human resources, facility management, health units,
student affairs, enrolment services, and other relevant members. The task force should
frequently meet with various subcommittees formed for the outbreak and make
informed decisions as the situation evolves.
Due to the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases worldwide, universities should
cancel or postpone all events, sports, workshops, conferences, and other activities for
an indefinite period of time. They should avoid or reschedule meetings involving large
numbers of staff or students unless it is urgent. Instead of physical meetings, they
should try to conduct Zoom meetings.
It is the right time for faculty, students, and administrators to learn from this
critical situation and to overcome these challenges. Online learning could be a greater
opportunity as a result of this crisis. Students are young and energetic, and they are
capable of learning through the online platform. Faculty can motivate the younger
minds and draw them into active participation. University authorities should encourage
students and faculty to stay connected through the online or any social media platform
and move forward together during this extremely difficult time. Students should be
provided with course instruction and other services in an online format to support
academic continuity. The training program should be organized as quickly as possible
for the faculty members to tackle the online learning platform.This force
experimentation will guide universities around the world to upgrade their technical
infrastructure and make online a core aspect of teaching and learning.
Students are concerned amid widespread fears that the outbreak will adversely
affect their exam performance. Clear directions should be given to them regarding the
procedures for administrating mid-term exams, assignments, and projects. Faculty
members, with the respective heads, should frame a flexible assessment
guideline to keep in mind that students are not at a disadvantage. If any student is not
able to attend a course online due to illness or any disturbance, universities should
remain as flexible as possible to ensure that he or she will not get any
negative impacts in terms of grading. Some courses, such as labs, fine arts, clerkship,
dance, art, and music, cannot be taught online. In such cases, the faculty can simply
grade students on the work they have already done or suspend classes until things
become normal.
As we witness the outbreak unfolding globally, the safety and well-
being of students and staff members should be the highest priority. Universities should
place an emphasis on mental health support by updating the health guidelines and
providing online guidance and lectures to offer strategies for managing stress when
coping with the pandemic. Any student experiencing feelings of heightened anxiety
about COVID-19 should be provided with proper psychological support well in time [30].
Further, universities should pay more attention and systematic support to vulnerable
international students. Hostels and residences should remain open for students who are
unable to return to their homes. Universities should consider matters
relating to financial support and the general living expenses of needy
students. To overcome the challenges of the global recession, graduates should be
encouraged to stay in school and pursue another degree. Universities, governments,
banks, and student loan companies should support graduates in various ways, including
direct case support and temporary suspension of students’ loan payment.
Along with the existing challenges in managing teaching and evaluation during
the COVID-19 outbreak, universities have to prepare a road map to accommodate
admissions for coming academic sessions. Admission officials should accept applications
from prospective students online and offer them more flexible admissions processes.
Revised information should be updated on the university website.
 Conclusions
In the emerging and ever-changing COVID-19 context, universities should
implement a number of measures to slow the spread of the virus. Students and staff
should receive regular information through emails and university intranets. The health
and safety of students and staff should be the top priority. Proper counseling services
should be available to support the mental health and well-being of students. Authorities
should take the responsibility of ensuring food and accommodation for international
students. Faculty members should embrace technology and pay careful
attention to student experiences to make the learning rich and effective.

References:
Stone, J. K., PharmD., & Pate, A. N., PharmD. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 through
the eyes of a fourth-year pharmacy student.  American Journal of Pharmaceutical
Education,  84(6), 673-676. Retrieved from
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2425600019?accountid=201144
Hernández-Sánchez, B. R., Cardella, G. M., & Sánchez-García, J. C. (2020).
Psychological factors that lessen the impact of COVID-19 on the self-employment
intention of business administration and economics’ students from latin
america. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15),
5293. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155293
CGS takes action to protect pathways to graduate schools for underrepresented
graduate students during COVID-19. (2020, Aug 07). Targeted News Service Retrieved
from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2430950232?accountid=201144
Gavin, J. T., Nguyen, A. G., Plasek, E. E., Stathopoulos, S. M., Bühlmann, P., Tonks, I.
A., & Roberts, C. C. (2020). Rethinking graduate recruitment weekends in the digital
age. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2544.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00758
Pradeep, S. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-
19): Impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff. Cureus,
12(4) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7541