Nursing Education and Planning to Use Simulations for Clinical Learning, Resources for Simulations, Curriculum Considerations and Preparing the Student and Faculty Development for Simulations Use At Clinical Site
Planning to Use Simulations for Clinical Learning Environment In Nursing Education
Using simulations as a
teaching learning strategy requires advance planning. Planning should consider
the need for resources, the overall curriculum, preparation of the student, and
faculty development.
Resources for Simulations at Clinical Site In Nursing Education
Operationalizing simulation requires physical space and equipment, the use of different types of simulation equipment and technology (manikins, virtual reality, Skype, electronic health records), faculty, and support staff.
The physical space must be large enough to accommodate teaching and learning space, office space for faculty and staff, storage space, debriefing space, and, if used, space for video recording.
Well-resourced spaces may mimic an acute care setting or operating room suite.
Resources also include support staff who assist faculty in managing the
equipment, and supporting the audiovisual technology.
Curriculum Considerations for Simulations Use At Clinical Site
A needs assessment and analysis should be carried out to understand the intricacies of the curriculum in general and how the specific courses intersect with each other. Examining specific course content and the clinical site placements gives a broad overview of the types of experiences students are exposed to and how objectives are met.
Further examination of QSEN competencies, national patient safety goals, the NCSBN Licensure Examination blueprint, the Institute of Medicine Initiatives, and standardized testing results can help design and pattern content for simulation.
Considering who the learners are, why they learn, what they learn,
and how they learn, a schematic design for each course can be developed to
determine how the goals of theory, simulation, and clinical are interconnected
and where simulation would be appropriate.
Preparing the Student for Simulations Use At Clinical Site
Simulation is likely to be a learning strategy that is a new experience for the student. Faculty must orient the student to the use of the equipment and to his or her role as an active and engaged learner.
Students must understand the learning goals, what assignments they should complete or information to have at hand during the simulation, how the simulation relates to the reality of clinical practice, and the significance of the debriefing session.
If the simulation is being used for assessment or evaluation, faculty must provide an opportunity for students to become familiar with the equipment and make clear the rubrics that will be used to judge performance. Simulation supports students' learning needs in a variety of ways.
For example, simulations may offer a flexible, accessible opportunity to practice skills and interventions when student schedules permit. The learner can access the simulation at his or her convenience and not be required to practice the skills in front of an instructor, although that option can remain available for those who need extra instruction or reinforcement.
Simulations
also offer an opportunity to practice a selected skill set a number of times in
an environment that is safe, nonthreatening, and conducive to learning. Simulations
also provide exposure to real-life clinical experiences for students before
caring for a specific type of patient in a specific type of clinical setting,
thus giving them confidence when in the actual clinical setting.
Faculty Development for Simulations Use At Clinical Site
Educators prepared in the use of simulations are essential to the success of integrating simulations across the curriculum. However, unlike the traditional classroom setting, the faculty role when using simulations is no longer teacher-centered but rather is student centered, with the educator assuming the role of a facilitator in the student's learning process.
The educator's role during the simulation process varies, depending on whether the simulation is being conducted for learning or evaluation purposes. Educators must provide learner support as needed throughout the simulation and facilitate or guide the debriefing at the conclusion of the experience.
If the simulation is being conducted for evaluation purposes, the teacher’s role changes to that of an observer and rater/grader. When using simulations for the first time, faculty must feel comfortable with the simulations they are using. Pretraining on simulation pedagogy and debriefing is essential (National League for Nursing, 2015).
Faculty may require assistance with simulation design, use of the technology, and setting up equipment for the activity. Whei Ming and Juestel (2010) found that novice faculty members needed assistance to operationalize the critical thinking learning objectives in a clinical simulation.
To assist faculty, the
educators developed a series of questions that provide direction about the
specific thought processes involved in the application of the nursing process
through the use of clinical simulations.
Schools of nursing have found it
helpful to send faculty to an orientation course or develop their own
orientation to develop faculty for using simulations in their teaching. These
courses include information about designing and using scenarios, the role of
the faculty, and how to conduct the debriefing. Faculty experience a simulation
first hand as they participate in these courses.
Give your opinion if have any.