With COVID-19 safety guidelines affecting the ability of nursing students to consistently attend in-person clinical rotations, faculty at the School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) have identified innovative resources to reinforce the path from classroom to clinical.
Thanks to a significant grant award from the Hugoton Foundation, 250 undergraduate nursing students at SONHS now have full and free access to virtual simulation tools designed to promote cognitive-based concepts, experiential knowledge, and clinical judgment.
“Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, educators have learned that a combination of hands-on and virtual experiences equip students with opportunities to hone clinical acumen for nursing practice,” explains SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro. “The virtual products we are using at SONHS enhance innovative instructional methods while demonstrating the school’s commitment to student success with the NCLEX and the transition from the classroom to clinical practice.”
I-Human, UWorld, and Shadow Health are the three new technologically advanced applications SONHS students are using in conjunction with in-person simulation-based education and real-world clinical placements. Nursing student Nicole Perez started using Shadow Health for her psychiatric mental health nursing course this semester. The program’s open-ended conversation technology and diverse suite of digital standardized patients help students like Perez strengthen clinical reasoning and assessment skills in a range of experiences, from pharmacology to pediatrics and maternal health to mental health.
“This software is super advanced and great for practicing hands-off skills such as a nurse-patient interview,” says Perez. “The interactions with the digital standardized patients force you to think and to practice trial-and-error questioning in a safe and comfortable place.”
Kaplan’s interactive i-Human simulation program can be used from any electronic device. Its patient encounters are designed to strengthen students’ decision-making, assessment, and lab skills. UWorld, an app tailored to help nursing students prepare for the NCLEX-RN exam, can be used on smart phones. In addition to helping students develop critical thinking required for clinical practice, UWorld offers a medication math calculation program and other features of use in real-world clinical settings.
Simulation and clinical faculty at the Simulation Hospital for Advancing Research and Education (S.H.A.R.E.™) oversee student use of all virtual simulation apps and optimize the student learning experience by leading guided debriefing sessions.
“It's hard to get familiar with the chaotic, rushed pace that usually exists in the hospital setting when you can press pause on your simulation,” admits Perez. “But virtual apps do a great job of simulating many patient signs and symptoms. Given the COVID-19 crisis, it's worth it to use virtual apps to help keep our community safe, and it is amazing how far our technology has taken us to allow us to learn from our homes.”
As a founding donor of S.H.A.R.E.™, the Hugoton Foundation has helped thrust SONHS to the forefront of evidence-based simulation training and nursing education. Last year, the Foundation funded the school’s purchase of high-fidelity simulators that allow students to perform interactive physicals, and eye and ear exams in a simulated learning environment. Another generous donation from the Foundation helped SONHS purchase sophisticated ultrasound machines to help students master a range of diagnostic and procedural applications.
“The Hugoton Foundation’s support through the years has significantly enhanced our ability to prepare students for the sophisticated demands associated with modern health care,” says Dean Munro. “The enduring generosity of the Foundation’s president and managing director, Mrs. Joan K. Stout, RN, remains a bedrock of support for the future of the nursing profession.”
