Teaching on the front lines: using the Internet and problem-based learning to enhance classroom teaching

Working on the front lines in health care at the bedsides, in the primary and specialty care offices and in the community with patients; and in health care education, teaching graduate and undergraduate students, is more challenging today than ever before. Shifts in reimbursement from fee for service to a managed care model, increasingly informed consumers, and increasingly complex health problems create a tension that often leaves the advanced practice nurse (APN) managing conflicting human and business interests. Nurse educators must prepare providers to function in that world. Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to provide APN students with experiences that will supply them with rehearsal will better prepare them to function in today's primary care environment. Providing PBL using the Internet is the next logical step and may insure that this type of experience is more widely available to students.