Innovations in Computer Technologies - Essay Example

Clinical simulation has become an important element in the nursing education. Clinical simulation is an interactive or web based programs that have got capability to mirror the hospital settings and provide nursing students a real time nursing scenario and experience. Present condition suggest mostly all of the students are computer knowledgeable and so there is no problem in inculcating the technology based education. Traditional way of teaching is seems to be not effective in present situation. Clinical simulation is cost effective. It has got ability to make great impact in nursing education and it can reduce the time to learn the clinical skills. Considering the present scenario it has become an essential component in nursing education. Introduction: Just recent years ego new technology has been emerged in the nursing education and which is named it as clinical simulation. “Clinical Simulations is the use of model-driven patient simulators, such as the METI HPS, ECS and iStan, in a realistic clinical environment for the purpose of immersing the healthcare profession students/trainee in environments that closely mimic real patient environments” (What is clinical simulation? 2008, para.1). The use of this simulation assists nursing students in many ways. This helped in making clinical decision, data analyzing and in solving the problems. The evolution of this technology has bought many changes in the field of nursing education. These changes are due to a rapid expansion in technology. “These changes have been associated with incumbent ethical and moral dilemmas which are borne out in the daily practice of nurses” (Simpson & Courtney, n.d., p.3). These clinical simulation has bought significant change in the learning abilities of nursing students as it models real life nursing situations. It also ensures competency and self-taught learning strategies for the nursing students. By utilizing these simulations, many problems can be solved and learning can be increased in very cost effective manner. Clinical simulation can provide low cost learning atmosphere: It is sure that clinical simulation can provide low cost learning atmosphere. Traditional system requires lots of costs input in order to facilitate needs for the students in learning. Traditional system requires lots of faculties for teaching purposes. With the evolution of this system it requires only very less number of faculties in order to teach the course. Presently hospitals are not allowing students to perform nursing intervention, as they believe that students will put patients in jeopardized state. Also to use hospital resources everyday college authorities need to pay a lot for hospitals. Also it is not sure that high supervision and mentoring will get to the students. Apart from providing low cost methods in teaching, the use of these technologies can a lot in learning and teaching experience. Impact of Clinical simulations in teaching-learning strategy: “Physical classrooms in tertiary education have changed little with the introduction of technology. To an extent, the interactive dynamics of teaching have been limited by educational technology, for instance moving around the classroom interacting directly with individual students” (Bodily, Windsor & Diener, n.d., p.1). One of the greatest benefit of clinical simulation is it will always provide students real time experience to the typical high risk and critical care scenarios without meeting or evolving with the real patients. “Simulations not only provide a good platform for technical skills training but more importantly they provide for the development or training on communication skills, and critical thinking and decision making skills” (What is clinical simulation? 2008, para.5). By enhancing model-driven patient simulators there is no problem regarding the safeties of the patient. Some of the benefits of using this technology is it can provide interactive learning experience. It always provides environment which out of risk. Complex problems can be presented to all students. Students can replay the actions in case of any doubt arise in their mind. Do Simulations Reduce the Time to Learn Clinical Skills? The utilization of simulation in the field of nursing education has helped the students in their studies and also to reproduce their skills in practice. Simulation has helped a lot to decrease the time to learn the clinical skills. It increases the effectiveness of learning and the methods can be done till the attainment of proficiency. Simulation will provide the students the ability to directly manage and access the methods and units of learning. It also provides the students the facilities for self-learning. A good learning policy motivates the students to study the latest technologies in this field. Students are made to participate in several activities like problem solving which help the students to develop a sense of assessment and descriptions. Flexibility is created in the students because they learn at their own rate. The students will have to recognize the learning practices and incorporate it. In the traditional methods only a single concept could be taught at a time, which required the spending of large amount of time. The simulations could overcome this. Simulation helps the students to learn the theory and practical in a combined way. “The most obvious advantage of clinical simulations over traditional patient-based training is that clinicians learn skills through “hands-on experience” without risking harm to real patients. Simulation-based training also provides trainees with a broad range of learning experiences, including the treatment of uncommon conditions unlikely to be encountered in traditional patient-based training” (Do simulations reduce the time to learn clinical skills? n.d., para.5). The traditional training method has some disadvantages for the patients and the students. The patients may face some bad affects if the trainees are inexperienced which may cause problems. Simulation as an Essential Component of Clinical Education: Simulation has become an important part of clinical education in the present world. Simulation is an activity that is similar to the clinical practices. It can be used in the teaching of theory, evaluation, skills, pharmacology etc. It involves the application and incorporation of the information, talents and critical thoughts. Simulation provides an atmosphere that is like the original clinical condition, which will be very useful for the learners. Before it was used in healthcare teaching, the process of simulation was originally used in many other fields of teaching. Gradually it became to be used in the healthcare field also. The learning of difficult topics became easy with the advancement in technology. “For example, interactive simulators connected to hemodynamic monitors allow learners to master working with the monitor, which displays patients’ data without being connected to an actual patient. Intra-aortic balloon pump simulators connect to the pump, allowing the display of electrocardiographic and pressure waveforms on the screen” (Rauen, 2004, para.8). Students find it easy to learn many of the technologies through the process of simulation. It has thus a successful teaching tool in the clinical education. Conclusion: There is no doubt that there occurs a rapid change in nursing education with the advancement of these technologies. It is an ongoing process for improving the situation. Clinical simulation has got ability to provide safe atmosphere and can enhance more benefits to the students in acquiring various skills in nursing education. Reference List Diener, S., Windsor, J., & Bodily, D. Design and development of clinical simulation in second life. pp.1-13. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://www.caudit.edu.au/educauseaustralasia09/assets/papers/monday/Scott-Diener.pdf Do simulations reduce the time to learn clinical skills?. (n.d.). HERT. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://www.hret.org/programs/simulations.html Rauen, C. (2004). Simulation as a teaching strategy for nursing education and orientation in cardiac surgery. Critical Care Nurse. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/cgi/content/full/24/3/46 Simpson, E., & Courtney, M. (n.d.). Critical thinking in nursing education: A literature review. pp.1-25. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/263/1/SIMPSON_CRITICAL_THINKING.PDF What is clinical simulation?. (2008). Clinical Simulation. Retrieved March 28, 2010, from http://www.clinicalsimulations.net.ph/faqs.asp Read More