For a nursing student who needs to practice labor and delivery skills on treating the dangerous condition of shoulder dystocia, opportunities can be rare. Unless, of course, you happen to have some of the latest “mixed reality” technology that allows you to practice as many times as you wish, threatening neither mother nor baby.
That mixed reality technology, embodied in Obstetric MR for Victoria from Gaumard Scientific, uses a mannequin combined with high-tech goggles and holographic imagery to tell the nursing student when he or she is performing the correct maneuvers to relieve shoulder dystocia – a condition during delivery when the baby’s shoulder can become caught on the mother’s pubic bone. With Obstetric MR for Victoria, the holographic imagery of the pelvis displayed in the student’s googles lights up green when the student performs the maneuvers correctly.
“Nursing schools are spending more time with critical thinking skills,” says James Archetto, Vice President of U.S. Sales at Gaumard, in an interview. “This is the beauty of high-fidelity simulation in that you can select one of these very sophisticated simulators to actually provide a complex scenario that a nurse may only experience once or twice in clinical practice. With that, now they can practice it over and over and over again, because it’s important that they have that muscle memory that when we’re in this critical situation, we know how to respond.”
Simulation provides a variety of benefits, notes Archetto, referencing “The NCSBN National Simulation Study: A Longitudinal, Randomized, Controlled Study Replacing Clinical Hours with Simulation in Prelicensure Nursing Education.” That study found substantial evidence that substituting high-quality simulation experiences for up to half of traditional clinical hours produces comparable end-of-program educational outcomes and new graduates that are ready for clinical practice.
First, notes Archetto, simulations allow students to practice low-frequency, high-risk scenarios repeatedly. Second, it helps avoid the problem of getting clinical time in a hospital. Third, it can provide cross-training for an unfamiliar clinical setting, such as med/surg nurses suddenly thrust into a critical care environment during COVID, he notes. “These are some key areas where simulation provides a substantial advantage and allows nurses to really gain competency in these areas,” Archetto says.
Going Digital
As nursing students come into the new school year, they’ll find that schools are emphasizing the use of technology such as virtual simulation in their programs. Virtual simulation represents a technology that will continue to grow, according to a recent survey conducted by Wolters Kluwer in collaboration with the National League for Nursing (NLN).
The study identified plans in nursing education for technology usage, adoption and investment during the next five years, notes a press release, as well as shedding light on the barriers and opportunities related to those initiatives. The study involved interviews in August 2020 followed by an online survey distributed in December 2020.
Some 91% of respondents currently use virtual simulation, according to the survey. Some 48% of respondents say they plan to invest more in virtual simulation during the next 2 years. Augmented reality and virtual reality are more distant.
The report notes that the shift to virtual learning had been happening well before the COVID pandemic. “The increased use of new technologies in education comes in response to a shortage of clinical sites and demonstrates a progressive approach to meeting the demand for practice-ready nurses who are prepared not just to pass licensure exams but also to deliver hands-on patient care,” it says.
Other findings:
–Before the pandemic, 65% of classes were being conducted in brick-and-mortar classrooms, with 20% offering hybrid models (in-person/online) and 11% primarily online, notes the survey report. That model changed to online learning (73%), with another 22% offering hybrid models. What’s more, 39% say their institutions plan to offer more courses online after the pandemic.
–Online learning, virtual simulation, adaptive quizzing, and video for skills training are among the technologies expected to reach full adoption by 2025.
–Learning environments will focus on secure exam delivery systems.
–Over two-thirds (68%) of faculty say that they’re not adequately trained in new technologies.
Three obstacles can hinder technology adoption, according to the report:
- Concerns about who will fund technology – including students who resist paying for new technology.
- Questions about the present tech infrastructure, both at the nursing program and outside the program’s physical site.
- Faculty who are reluctant to change their approach to teaching. Many of the more-senior faculty, who may have been planning to retire in 3 to 5 years, are opting to retire early rather than have to learn a completely new way to teach, the report notes.
However, adoption of new technology can help faculty in achieving the next stage of their career, from a BSN to an MSN to a PhD, according to Dr. Beverly Malone, President and CEO, NLN. Nursing programs, she notes, can extend opportunities to join faculty development and technology programs. Technology mentors who are available during regular and after-work hours can give important advice and mentoring to those who need it.
Urgent Need for Digital Learning Tools
The survey, notes Dr. Malone, in a press release, underscores the need for rapid, increased investment in digital learning tools. “The urgency is obvious with more than 80,000 qualified applicants turned away by U.S. nursing schools from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2020 due to insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.”
Now a freelance writer and editor, he served as a Director at Elsevier, where he was instrumental in the development of major online nursing reference and procedure products. Previously, he served as Editorial Director at Nurses.com, one of the first nursing websites, and was Executive Editor at Nursing magazine, a premier large-circulation journal.
Today, he continues to serve nurses and other clinicians by reporting on developments and trends in healthcare with meaning, context, and insight.
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