Use of Virtual Reality Simulations to Embody a Patient: Exploring the Impact on Nursing Students' Confidence, Feelings, and Perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Using immersive virtual reality (VR), students are able to physically and emotionally embody patients while interacting in simulated environments with family and health care providers. PURPOSE: This pilot study explored how embodying patients with Alzheimer disease and terminal cancer at end of life using highly immersive VR impacted nursing students' confidence, feelings, and perceptions. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used with a convenience sample of bachelor of science in nursing students who completed pre/posttest scaled and open-ended questions. RESULTS: Participants (N = 32) reported significant confidence increases; feelings about dying and hospice were also significantly changed. The majority described how the simulations would impact their future nursing care. CONCLUSION: Using VR, students experienced disease, dying, and health care from the patient's perspective reporting differences in confidence, feelings, and perceptions. Immersive VR simulations warrant further study and have the potential to transform nursing education and impact health care.

Validation of the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Survey as a Quality-of-Life Instrument for Patients with Malignant Brain Tumors and Their Caregivers.

At present there is a lack of well-validated surveys used to measure quality of life in patients with malignant brain tumors and their caregivers. The main objective of this pilot study was to validate the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (NIH PROMIS) survey for use as a quality-of-life measure in this population. This article presents the rationale for using the NIH PROMIS instrument as a quality-of-life measure for patients with malignant brain tumors and their caregivers.

Bridging the gap: strategies to integrate classroom and clinical learning.

Nursing students often feel their classroom (didactic) learning and clinical (practice) experiences are disconnected which can lead to a rejection of academe and dissatisfaction with the profession. This classroom/clinical divide may be exacerbated because of the increased use of part-time clinical faculty, who are often isolated from their didactic peers. If clinical faculty, either novice or experienced, are disconnected from didactic faculty, is it any wonder students feel their learning is fragmented? The purpose of this paper is to discuss strategies to help bridge the gap between didactic and clinical learning. Specific integration strategies for faculty are presented using examples from a baccalaureate adult nursing didactic course and its related clinical course. The role of a clinical coordinator in facilitating course integration and support for part-time clinical faculty is described. Ideas for using technology to enhance learning and suggestions to promote socialization to decrease faculty isolation are also discussed.

Lessons learned from an accelerated post-master's nurse educator certificate program: teaching the practicum course.

Nursing faces current and future shortages in the practice arena. The nurse educator shortage exacerbates the nursing shortage.This article describes an innovative and collaborative approach developed to increase the supply of nurse educators. An overview of the initial offering of this post-master's nurse educator certificate program, a grant-funded, cohort-based program, delivered online in an accelerated format, is provided. Particular attention is given to the nursing education practicum, a precepted teaching experience. This course is viewed as a culminating course, wherein the role transition from expert practitioner to novice educator occurs as students connect the experiential aspects of the practicum with knowledge gained in didactic courses and enter a new community of practice. Lessons learned and recommendations for future cohorts are discussed.

Integrating information literacy across a BSN curriculum.

Although research regarding effective informatics teaching strategies is sparse and informatics competencies have not yet been finalized, nurse educators have been challenged to include informatics throughout the curriculum. Nurse educators are confronted with how best to incorporate informatics into an already burgeoning curriculum. This article offers a systematic approach to incorporating information literacy, a vital component of informatics, across a baccalaureate of science in nursing curriculum. Motivated by the Institute of Medicine report, guided by the initial Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform competency framework, and using the specific Quality and Safety Education for Nurses informatics competencies, the proposed integrated approach emphasizes clinical applications. The five assignments are designed to incrementally increase students' abilities to recognize the need for information (i.e., knowledge); advance students' abilities to locate, evaluate, and use information (i.e., skills); and foster a positive appreciation for information literacy (i.e., attitudes) when planning safe, effective patient care.

Nurse-patient interactions related to diabetes foot care.

The results of a study of nurse-patient interactions related to diabetes foot care from the RNs' perspective are reported. Results indicated significant interaction differences between acute care and home health settings. Implications for nurses in both clinical areas are discussed.

Using a capstone cultural diversity paper for program outcomes evaluation.

The need to evaluate program outcomes is a task facing many nurse faculty. This three-part capstone paper is used to evaluate the baccalaureate program outcomes of critical thinking, written communication, and therapeutic interventions. First, students interview clients from other cultures, religions, or sexual orientations. Second, students analyze the interview data and compare their findings with the literature. Third, students reflect on their own cultural beliefs and values and discuss their influence on future nursing practice. The development of a grading rubric, levels of achievement, outcomes, program revisions, and student comments are discussed.