Technology plays a momentous role in
every profession. It has crossed all the dimensions of healthcare field
too. There is an obvious advancement in the technologies used in
hospital settings as well as education settings. Starting from the
assessment of patients to the treatment modalities, a wide range of
equipment has taken over the role of nurses. For example, Electronic
health record has replaced the manual documentation of patient care. The
electronic health record was integrated into the clinical workflow to
maintain right documentation of patient details and care, and to ensure
safe, quality care to the clients. Similar to the clinical setting,
technological innovations are advancing in the field of nursing
education as well. The introduction of simulation in nursing has bridged
the gap between classroom knowledge and clinical practice.
What is simulation and what role does it play in the nursing education?
It is the imitation or replication of a situation or an event that one
would confront in the real world (Sasser, 2011). Simulation has been
used in the health care field for quite some time now. It has undergone
an event of changes from the first life size manikin popularly known as
Mrs Chase to the high fidelity full body patient simulators. A nurse
gains knowledge through academic studies, practical sessions, case
studies, conferences and so on. “I hear I forget, I see and I remember, I
do and I understand.” This Chinese proverb applies to nursing education
too. Nursing students learn theory in school and get their practical
exposure in the clinical settings. In many cases students are unable to
think critically and are anxious while providing care to the patients.
Moreover, their confidence level is pretty low that affects their
overall performance. Simulation plays a central role in today’s nursing
education.
Nursing in Abroad:- Going back to early 1900s, nursing
students practiced their skills on injection pads, IM injection on
oranges and so on. After few years, the life size manikin Mrs Chase took
over the nursing skill area and she became more popular nationally as
well as globally. Over the years, the simulation or the simulators
underwent appreciable changes and now it plays a crucial role in
improving the nurses’ practical skills. There are different components
of simulation which includes task trainers, computer based programs,
games, partial task trainers, standardized patients, role play,
instructor regulated simulators etc. Task trainers are partial manikins
that are used to practice definite skills like catheterization, IM
injection, suctioning and so on (Kyle & Murray, 2008). Standardized
patients are well-trained individuals who mimic a role so that the
nursing students can practice their skills of assessment and improve
their communication skills. Integrated simulators are again divided into
low fidelity, moderate and high fidelity manikins based on their
functions. High fidelity manikins are used in the educational set ups to
enable students practice and improve advanced nursing skills. These are
instructor driven and allow students to practice their nursing ,
critical thinking, decision making and communication skills in a given
patient scenario. Simulation is helpful in many ways. It improves
essential nursing skills like critical thinking, decision-making,
assessment and permits them to handle challenging situations in a safe
and controlled environment. This in turn improves the student confidence
in dealing with a similar situation in the near future. In addition,
nursing students are allowed to make mistakes in a safe scenario.
In Nursing schools, before the
simulation session the students are asked to complete pre-exercise or
pre-simulation activities such as reading lessons, listening to a
recording or going through a power point presentation as preparation.
The instructor divides the students into small groups and gives them a
scenario. The students are expected to use their nursing knowledge and
other skills to encounter the situation within the given time frame.
Later, after the simulation session, reflective feedback or debriefing
is done by the instructor to make the students realize their strengths
and weaknesses. Debriefing session helps the student to review their
performance and understand their mistakes, which helps them in advancing
their existing skills. Similarly, simulation sessions are conducted in
hospitals for medical professionals to upgrade their professional
practice skills, promote patient safety and to improve teamwork.
In short, nursing simulation scenarios
mimic real patient situations in a safe controlled environment. It
promotes active learning, team building, communication skills and
self-efficacy. Students assume the role of a nurse and take the
responsibility of providing comprehensive care as the patient takes a
turn for the worse. Learning from mistakes is one of the best ways to
improve skills and moreover building confidence. Present nursing education has made many revisions and simulation classes are an integral
part in the present curriculum. All the colleges and universities have
introduced simulation-based trainings in their nursing curriculum to
improve the student performance and to upgrade their nursing practical
skills that would ultimately transform them to competent and intelligent
nurses in the future.
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