Each new generation of healthcare students poses unique challenges for clinical simulation instructors. What used to be an effective education tool twenty years ago, may not work now. Clinical Simulation is proven to help learners master technical skills. This HealthySimulation.com contributor article by Kathy Sokol, RN, MSN will explore how clinical simulation can help the Generation Z learner to improve clinical judgment and decision-making and develop a higher level of critical thinking.
Clinical faculty includes individuals from several generations. Baby Boomers are at the end of their careers, yet many still work part-time or as clinical education adjuncts. Generation Xers, took up the instructional gauntlet along with older Millennials (born between 1981 and 2000). The newest generation is called Generation Z or Zoomers. Born between 2001 and 2020 these individuals demand a different approach to clinical learning.
Generation Z was born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths, though in this case, the silver spoon is a smartphone. With a single touch, this group gets much of their information from the internet and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. If there is a popular app, Generation Z has this on their device. The Generation Z way of life depends on instant access to friends, family, school, and jobs.
Generation Z Learners Are Highly Stressed
What happens when learners of this generation enroll in healthcare curricula to become doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals? How do clinical faculty ensure these individuals are safe to practice? To understand some of the difficulties experienced by Generation Z, know that these learners:
- Have high levels of anxiety and depression due to national and world events that impacted their lives since birth (9/11, wars in the Middle East, the Covid pandemic)
- Are often disconnected and lonely, a direct result of isolation from their digital lifestyle. These individuals may have trouble with face-to-face communication.
- Feel inadequate when they see friends and classmates brag about their activities and accomplishments on social media
- Generation Z were raised by parents and caregivers who may have protected them from the unpleasant side of life
- Don’t always feel understood by parents, teachers, or employers
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Novice nurses and medical graduates often carry huge college debt. They postponed activities they planned to enjoy as adults to pursue an education they hope will increase their chances of a good job. Some are already disillusioned with their career choice but feel trapped in a profession in which a lot of time and money was invested. Despite this, Generation Z genuinely cares about and wants to help others. They want to make a difference even if they doubt they can.
Clinical rotations may elicit high emotions for Generation Z. Learners may not know how to keep turbulent feelings in check. Patient care assignments may exacerbate self-doubt, fear of failure, and increase apprehension for the young nurse or physician. Clinical Simulation is an effective means to help relieve some of these psychological stressors. Scenarios rich in the opportunity for face-to-face communication and clinical reasoning encourage Generation Z learners to take risks, which many are reluctant to do.
Sports coaches know how to motivate and instill confidence in their athletes. Clinical simulation facilitators might borrow a page from the coach’s playbook. The key here is preparation, the learners’ readiness for a simulation experience. Prework should include skills practice, especially with more complex interventions like IV insertion or intubation. Check-offs alone aren’t enough preparation for Clinical Simulation. Learners must feel confident when they do these procedures in the simulation.
Zoomers Fear Failure
Faculty need to understand the reason behind Generation Z learners who don’t participate, and stand at the back of a clinical simulation cubicle. An instructor may be tempted to chalk the individual off as lazy, but reluctance to become engaged is likely the result of a lack of confidence in skills or decision-making. Negative feedback from past instructors may color the learner’s readiness to risk a mistake and cause them to procrastinate in the hopes the scenario will end before they have to take action.
The compassionate Clinical Facilitator can help Zoomers learn that failure happens, is okay, and is an opportunity to improve. If the learner makes a mistake in the clinical simulation, this won’t harm the patient. Faculty and peers are there to support each learner and give them the autonomy to discover appropriate interventions for the next time. Faculty need to provide positive, timely feedback to encourage participation.
Generation Z learners may feel a loss of control due to constant exposure to digital fake news and misinformation. This generation more than earlier groups is likely to believe what they see on social media. Information comes from their newsfeed, after all, so they seldom do a fact check. Clinical Simulation can reinforce truth and validity through consistency in the patient history, provider orders, and diagnostic test results. Faculty can guide learners to research evidence-based practice and prove to themselves that what happens in simulation mimics the actual patient experience.
Generation Z Learners May Need Help To Focus
Generation Z is inclined to be poorly focused. They have shorter attention spans than learners from earlier generations. These individuals are easily distracted away from set goals and objectives. Faculty can help learners get back on track through Clinical Simulation. Below are ways to achieve this.
- Simplify healthcare simulation objectives to focus on one key activity like the insertion of a foley catheter; how to educate the patient on their medications; and how to perform wound care.
- Write a scenario around therapeutic communication with a patient. Pose thoughtful questions from the patient that require an innovative response.
- Consider a scenario where learners sit down to plan care for a patient. (A follow-up scenario could have the group carry out their plan with the patient).
- Develop a scenario where learners identify safety issues (a cut electrical cord, disconnected IV line, or dislodged Foley catheter).
- Break the scenario into smaller phases that each focus on one goal.
Clinical Simulation can improve engagement, and develop confidence in learners of Generation Z. Thoughtful simulation design can help them overcome practice anxiety to prepare them for safe, independent practice as doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.
How to Cultivate Student Engagement in Healthcare Simulation
