Related Experiment Videos
Exploring undergraduate nursing student interactions with virtual patients to develop 'non-technical skills' through
Monica Peddle1, Margaret Bearman2, Lisa Mckenna1
11School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Science Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Advances in Simulation (London, England)
|February 27, 2019
Summary
Virtual patients enhance nursing students' non-technical skills by providing authentic learning experiences. This interaction influences knowledge, attitudes, and practice, preparing them for clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Health Professions Education
- Digital Learning Technologies
Background:
- Virtual patients are emerging tools for developing non-technical skills in health professionals.
- The Virtual Simulated Patient Resource (VSPR) utilizes branching, narrative virtual patients for skill development.
- Limited research exists on virtual patient impact on nursing students' non-technical skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore undergraduate nursing students' experiences with virtual patients.
- To understand how virtual patient interactions influence non-technical skill development (knowledge, attitude, practice).
- To identify factors affecting learning from virtual patient encounters.
Main Methods:
- Intrinsic case study design.
- Focus groups and individual interviews conducted with undergraduate nursing students.
- Framework analysis with a codebook for deductive and inductive data analysis.
Main Results:
- Forty-five first-year and 31 third-year students participated.
- Distinct interaction patterns observed between different year levels.
- Four themes emerged: virtual patients enabling skill learning, learning surrounding the encounter, perception shifts in practice, and learning limitations.
Conclusions:
- Virtual patient interactions foster non-technical skills through authenticity, professional role socialization, vicarious learning, and mistake-based learning.
- Limitations include fear, overconfidence, groupthink, and confusion; effective facilitation, reflection, feedback, and debriefing are crucial.
- Learning from virtual patients transforms practice perception and is transferable to clinical settings, enhancing patient care.