Innovative Approach to Procedure Skills: A Nurse Practitioner Educator's Response to COVID-19.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Simulation
• Distance Learning

Background:

• The Ohio State University's Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program shifted to a hybrid online model in 2017.
• The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced the cancellation of all in-person university events, impacting practical learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt procedural skills training for Neonatal Nurse Practitioner students in a virtual environment.
• To maintain learning continuity despite the cancellation of in-person campus visits.

Main Methods:

• Redesigned onsite procedural content for virtual delivery.
• Utilized student-led critical thinking activities on procedural complications.
• Incorporated faculty-led scenario discussions for virtual learning.

Main Results:

• Students engaged in a 1-day Complications Rounds activity.
• Learning focused on procedural skills from a global perspective, including safe techniques, monitoring, risks, and troubleshooting.
• Collaborative activities facilitated understanding of procedural complications.

Conclusions:

• Virtual learning effectively delivered procedural content when in-person sessions were not feasible.
• The Complications Rounds approach successfully addressed potential delays or gaps in practical training.
• In-depth examination of complications improved student preparedness and harm prevention awareness for future practice.