Ann's Story: An Authentic Learning Experience for Online Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Oncology Nursing
• Healthcare Simulation

Background:

• Preparing nursing students for complex healthcare environments requires bridging the gap between academic knowledge and clinical practice.
• Traditional nursing education often struggles to replicate the real-world complexities and authentic learning experiences encountered in practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the effectiveness of an authentic learning activity in an online oncology nursing course.
• To assess student engagement and learning outcomes through a real-life patient narrative.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of 'Ann's Story,' a narrative-based authentic learning activity in an online oncology nursing course.
• Analysis of student comments and reflections on their learning experience with the case study.

Main Results:

• The 'Ann's Story' activity significantly resonated with students, fostering deeper engagement with the course material.
• Student reflections indicated a shift from task-focused learning to a more compassionate and empathetic approach to patient care.
• The authentic learning experience promoted newfound wisdom in students regarding communication of feelings and compassion.

Conclusions:

• Authentic learning activities, such as patient narratives, are effective tools for enhancing nursing education.
• Utilizing real-life experiences in online learning environments can improve students' understanding of compassionate patient care in oncology.
• Nurse educators should incorporate practice-authentic learning to better prepare students for the evolving healthcare landscape.