Students officially started school in the last couple of weeks. Most are excited to go back to face-to-face instructions instead of learning via a screen or modules, as the case may be. The same excitement applies to our student nurses, who may be, aside from their academic subjects, doing their hands-on clinicals for the very first time. In this post-pandemic world, just what is the effective education modality for our future nurses? Or are we thriving in the hybrid in-person and virtual learning platforms?

Here is the podcast link in case that works better for you: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Z4I9dhbLAHxOGEciBw7vE?si=36c44e756d3a4cb3

Also, full disclosure, this post is a little bit of a reflective exercise for me because I am constantly a teacher and a learner in my current role. Well, more now than since I started, I guess.

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Face to Face Classes

I prefer face-to-face classes. There, I said it. In that learning environment, students can ask questions in real time. This also opens up a robust discussion about the topic if others may have the same question or even if they may have differing opinions and insights about the concern at hand.

Students these days don’t take things at face value. And they shouldn’t! The readily available resources on the internet keep learners informed. However, they need to filter which information is correct and credible. The instructor then has the tall task of validating those points based on his or her knowledge, skills, policies, and regulations that govern nursing practice, for example.

Face-to-face classes also give both the instructor and the learners the opportunity to gauge non-verbal cues, which are important components of effective communication. Does the student display that puzzled look despite nodding his or her head in agreement that he or she understood the topic being discussed?

Needless to say, I can totally relate to the challenge of keeping the social distancing and masking guidelines in this post-Covid 19 era. Imagine wearing the mask for a whole school day? Or trying to do a cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice while wearing your N-95?

I should know how difficult that is! I just completed my quarterly Resuscitation Quality Improvement Program (RQI) for my Basic Life Support (BLS) and Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS) certificates. It was not fun doing chest compressions while sweating and struggling to breathe at the same time. My face-to-face Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) was the same. I learned a great deal. However, the inconvenience of having the mask on at all times is getting to me at times.

The Convenience of Providing Education through Virtual Means

Students these days are adept at utilizing technological solutions to learn through virtual means. As most of the learners are digital natives, they are comfortable with using technology to learn.

As for our part, we have onboarded a lot of new providers and new nurses lately. Our main means of instruction is through Zoom.

For the most part, it is convenient. As long as you have a great internet connection, of course. Learners are comfortable using their own devices in their own settings (e.g. home). It takes the hassle of dealing with traffic, being pressed for time, and other negative influences that may hamper the process of learning.

By the same token, it is also just as challenging. If the application does not work as intended (e.g. practice environment for the electronic health record system), then a lot of troubleshooting needs to happen. And yes, it is harder to do it remotely!

I am sure this most probably is just coincidental, but whenever I have to do onboarding education, those who are late are the ones who have access issues. Some may say that they cannot open the application, their internet is unstable, Zoom kicks them out, etc.

Woe to those who showed up earlier, then, because they are on their end, ready to go, yet had to twiddle their thumbs because the instructor is stuck helping this one student who was already late and is now having technological difficulties.

Do I believe that this could happen? Definitely! I could never count in my fingers how many times Zoom kicked me out or my application suddenly closed on me while I am presenting. However, it will be helpful to both the learners and the instructors if tech issues are already addressed and out of the way prior to the expected class start time.

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Simulation Education

Contrary to popular belief, simulation is not technology-driven. Rather, it is a type of education that

 “replaces or amplifies real experience with guided experiences”

In other words, technology is just a tool.

Simulations allow students to implement theory into practice. They could either be low-fidelity or high-fidelity. Low-fidelity simulation may be learning how to insert intravenous access on a manikin or documenting vital signs in the electronic health record system. On the other hand, high-fidelity is the incorporation of real-life scenarios in learning. An example that I could think of is our recently-concluded NRP class.

During that time, we had to apply our knowledge of the subject matter while using critical thinking skills in determining the next resuscitation action. The use of a manikin, a monitor, and other technological tools made that exercise almost real-life. A question such as “I am doing positive-pressure ventilation, but why is the baby’s heart rate staying at 60 beats/minute?” is being asked. That guides the decision on what has to be done next based on the algorithm.

Students who have the privilege of using these high-fidelity simulation settings have unanimously agreed on its benefits in the learning process.

Webinars from Refutable Organizations

Finally, at least in this blog post, we also learn by attending webinars. More often than not, these are offered by refutable organizations: schools, healthcare systems, and other professional or educational organizations. They invite knowledgeable guest speakers to discuss the topic. They also encourage participants to ask relevant questions.

Webinars are either live or available for any time consumption online. Obviously, the live webinars provide for more in-the-moment interactions with the speaker/s and facilitators. Nevertheless, the recorded versions are the alternative that allows more flexibility in terms of the learners’ time and setting convenience. Sometimes, I listen to webinars whenever I drive home so as not to waste my time.

In Conclusion

We have identified some common means of education that are relevant to preparing our future nurses for practice. This list is in no way extensive, but we are aware of the most common ones that we currently employ. This also goes without saying that individual research or independent online courses are not as effective. In fact, those are useful adjuncts to formal learning.

At the end of the day, our aim is to instill early on that love for learning among our future nurses. I assure you that the statement

nurses are lifelong learners

is not just a passing line. This is a cold hard fact! We have to keep up with evidence-based best practices, technological changes, and the ever-changing policies and regulations. We didn’t even talk about the use of artificial intelligence in learning or the importance of wearable technology as well as the Internet of Things. Maybe next time?