Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SHARE™ simulation team maintained its novel, optimistic, and world-changing approach to simulation to support its mission of teaching and caring for School of Nursing and Health Studies students. In early March, with social distancing orders looming, assistant dean for simulation Donna McDermott, PhD, RN, CHSE, along with a team of nurse specialists and simulation technologists from the Simulation Hospital for Advancing Research and Education (SHARE™), began planning for a transition to virtual simulation and simulated clinical experiences.
Within the week they had adapted, filmed, and edited a number of clinical scenarios on site in the hospital. The rapid response and teamwork paid off. New virtual patients like “Stephen Thompson” are now helping SONHS nursing students as far away as China learn to care for patients experiencing various health issues, including acute coronary syndrome, blood transfusion reactions, and acute respiratory compromise.
“We filmed while we were on week two of spring break, anticipating that we would be social distancing,” explains McDermott, an associate professor of clinical at SONHS. “We also helped other SONHS nursing faculty incorporate virtual simulation into their clinical courses.”
These new virtual simulations give students time as the scenario unfolds to answer a series of guided questions. Their virtual experience also includes a series of pre-briefing and debriefing worksheets, designed to help them better understand the scenario’s learning objectives and reflect on their performance in caring for the virtual patient.
“I am proud of what the SHARE™ staff has accomplished together,” says McDermott. “Our team has worked collaboratively all semester to create contingency simulated activities, supplemented with commercial virtual simulation products, that are helping our students meet their clinical learning objectives during a critical time for preparing the next generation of nurses to practice.”
