Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it serious challenges that is affecting health professional education globally. Academic institutions have had to make a transition from the ‘face-to-face’ didactic model of curriculum delivery to an online platform in a short amount of time. Laboratory settings and simulation centers have also had temporarily close which prevents students from being able to practice nursing skills in a safe environment. It is particularly challenging to provide opportunities to practice and learn psychomotor skills in a virtual environment. These changes have resulted in nursing schools having to quickly develop new teaching/learning strategies to meet program outcomes in a virtual format. In addition, students are not being able to complete the clinical components of the curriculum.
The content covered in this symposium will identify ways to use virtual learning and screen based simulation to meet the learning outcomes for nursing students . The various speakers will present innovative ways to use simulation to enhance clinical decision-making skills, communication, critical thinking, and knowledge on use if personal protective equipment to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The panel discussion will focus on low resources teaching strategies to assist with bridging the gap of students not being able to complete clinical hours.
Additional Presenters: Nancy Owen, Mary Moran, Marsha Williamson.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe innovative teaching modalities using video conferencing platforms to conduct clinical simulation experiences.
- Discuss methods for evaluating students’ clinical performance using a virtual environment.
- Identify resources needed to support transition to the online learning environment.