Alternative Clinical Learning Experiences for Nursing Education Using Virtual Individual Patients

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Pediatric Care
• Simulation Technology

Background:

• Acute care pediatric clinical experiences for nursing students are often limited by site availability and restrictions.
• Variations in direct patient care can hinder standardized learning outcomes.
• Developing consistent and effective clinical experiences is crucial for undergraduate nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement unfolding virtual individual patient pediatric simulations.
• To standardize clinical experiences and address limitations in traditional pediatric clinical hours.
• To evaluate the impact of virtual simulations on nursing students' clinical reasoning skills.

Main Methods:

• Developed ten unfolding virtual simulations featuring complex pediatric disorders.
• Implemented simulations to replace traditional clinical hours.
• Utilized the Quint Leveled Clinical Competency Tool for student evaluation.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated progressing abilities in clinical reasoning skills.
• Virtual simulations provided deliberate, coordinated, and consistent exposure to clinical scenarios.
• The use of unfolding virtual patients was effective in standardizing learning.

Conclusions:

• Unfolding virtual individual patient simulations are a valuable substitution for traditional pediatric clinicals.
• This approach allows for consistent and controlled exposure to diverse pediatric patient cases.
• Virtual simulations enhance the development of essential clinical reasoning in nursing students.