Innovative software to continue nurse training – Community College Daily
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland Community College’s nursing program has moved entirely online using innovative software that allows its students to care for actor patients in real-time. The pivot has allowed its students to continue training, graduate on time and find jobs in the critical healthcare industry.
Rather than attending clinical experiences to practice direct patient care, students engage in virtual simulation using a product called “ATI Real Life Clinical Reasoning Scenarios,” which was approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. These scenarios were used in the National Council of State Boards of Nursing study, which concluded that simulation can effectively substitute for up to half of traditional clinical experiences.
“This will be different learning, but it will be no less valuable,” said Heather Reynolds, director of PCC’s nursing program. “Not all students get the opportunity to work with a patient experiencing chest pain, for example, so combining virtual scenarios with traditional clinical experiences may give students a breadth of experience they may not have otherwise gotten. The scenarios are really life-like and allow them to make independent decisions in a safe environment.”