Simulation and Its Use in Nursing Education - Term Paper Example

? PRACTICUM: SIMULATION AND ITS USE IN NURSING EDUCATION Introduction To simulate is defined as “to look or act like”(Keeping, 2008). This is in an expansive sense and hence includes not just automatic simulators but also position playing, stage setting as well as case studies. These are the few types of simulation. Going by this definition we comprehend that simulation in nursing tutoring has been present for a long time. This includes the use of oranges to perform subcutaneous as well as intramuscular injections; using a static manikin to learn CPR; the insertion of Foley catheters inside a manikin in a scientific lab structure and even position in concert major psychological disorders in addition to communique skills in psychological health. All these are types of simulations which are put in one form or the other. Bottom-line, what they all have in common is that they are all done in a mock situation. This is appropriate because the stake holders perform steadfastly in the clinical setting (Keeping, 2008). Discussion Using simulation, it is simple to bridge the gap between the real condition and the ideal condition. A nursing educator would like to put his or her students into the ideal condition of dealing with real patients. This in reality is not possible because the students are not yet fully qualified to handle real patients in the ideal situation (Brown, Crawford & Hicks, 2003). They might just compromise their health. In order to curb this identified need as required by need assessment, simulation is used. Need assessment is a well choreographed process whereby the gaps or discrepancies between the conditions that are faced now and the ideal conditions are established and addressed appropriately. The students are placed in the ideal situation using simulation. In this virtual ideal situation, they are able to employ clinical judgment to establish a balance of knowledge between their personal judgment and evidence from research. This is nursing process. Nursing process is a mechanism that uses clinical judgment in order to establish a serene balance of knowledge between personal judgment and evidence postulated by research. In this way, nursing process is integrated into the clinical evaluation experience. Associate degree students who are preparing to handle patients in critical conditions are best taught using simulation. This puts them in an almost real scenario without real danger to the patients. Patients suffering from conditions such as Myocardial infarction and Congestive heart failure are in very critical conditions. In congestive heart failure the heart is not able to pump enough blood that meets all the needs of the body. Myocardial infarction on the other hand is a condition where an interruption occurs to the flow of blood to some part of the heart and as a result the cells of the heart give in and die. These students under simulation feel the real urgency and quagmire in a race to save the patients’ lives. They are compelled to have a rush of adrenalin and adopt enhanced critical thinking. Simulation therefore greatly benefits the medical teaching fraternity by alleviating the risk of harming critically ill patients from the inexperience of student professionals (Orme, 2007). Simulation in these critical conditions is however facing significant challenges. It is such a great huddle to cross in trying to create a precise simulated condition of the real situation that goes down in the operation theatres that handle these critically ill patients (Gomm & Davies, 2000). It might be quite a challenge to implement the practicum. Simulations are only the imitations of the real life scenarios. They are not quite the real thing. Going into a simulation environment with the full knowledge that the environment is only an imitation is such a challenge. It compromises the creativity and ability to learn or teach. In order to mitigate this challenge, it is important to try and forget the fact that a simulation is not the real life scenario. It is possible to fixate the mind that the simulation is actually the ideal situation and the entire body mechanism shall respond appropriately (Orme, 2007). The creativity that is hidden in the subconscious and the ability to learn and teach shall all come out with a lot of ease. This is very vital for the sake of meeting the practicum learning agreement. A practicum learning agreement is important in that it demarcates the boundaries that can be crossed by the students, the educator or the administration. It sets out the mandate and the obligations to be met. It helps one to be focused and goal oriented. In this regard, one is able to objectively strive towards professional excellence. Simulation is a very key aspect in helping to meet the objectives of nursing educators. The role of a nursing educator is one very important aspect to the human life. Professionally I strive towards being one of the most renowned nursing educators. I also aim at being a role model in my profession. My other professional objective is to strengthen the nursing workforce. These are very close to my heart and I shall not relent until they come to pass. Without a nursing educator, the nursing industry crumbles to its knees. The world needs nurses for quality health care (Fraser & Mathews, 2008). It is a basic need. Humans cannot survive without basic needs. They keep the world going. In this regard, nursing educators move the world from strength to strength. This makes the whole concept of nursing educators a very close aspect to my heart and the concept of simulation even closer. I feel obliged to fortify the nursing educators’ fraternity. Through the course, I get to grow an in-depth comprehension of the necessary principles. As they say, knowledge is strength. I grow stronger and thus meet my educational objectives. In order to teach or learn appropriately using simulation, it is important to work with a Practicum learning agreement. This is drafted upon coming to a consensus with all the parties that are involved (Keeping, 2008). Like the name suggests, it is an agreement. This makes it quit easy to adopt and cope with. If one is not comfortable with any element of the agreement, the parties involved deliberate over it and come up with a solution that favors all the parties involved in one way or the other. It can be agreed that if say element one is demeaning to party one but favors party two, element two is made to compensate this scenario by being detrimental to party two and favoring party one. All the parties agree upon it and append their signatures to it. The agreement becomes binding (Plymouth & Thatcher, 1999). This makes a practicum learning agreement an effective example to follow. This follows without saying that if I am to formulate my own sample practicum learning agreement, I would engage in discussion, all the stake holders with vested interests. We would all come into a consensus before finally putting pen on paper which would eventually make the agreement fully binding. A simulated environment is almost like a mentoring program. Mentoring is a very important phenomenon in life. We all feel low or disillusioned at one point or the other. This calls for the attention of a mentor. Without mentoring, one is bound to fail in life (Keeping, 2008). This shows just how crucial mentoring is in the society. Personally I have had a very awesome experience with mentoring. I was at the verge of giving up hope in education. Up came a mentor who shared with me his true life experience and I counted myself among the lucky in the society. I unlike him had all that I needed in order to get a proper education. It is from then on that I developed this enormous drive towards mentoring. I feel like mentoring someone at any instance. Given the opportunity to mentor new nurses, I would take it in a blur. Mentoring saved my education and I would like for it to save everybody else. I brace myself for any ugly scenarios that may come my way as a result of offering mentorship. Simulation aims at creating a scenario that is very identical to the ideal situation and offering the educator and the students a proper channel of emanation of education without real danger (Brown, Crawford & Hicks, 2003). Measuring the attainment of this objective is not quite simple. However I plan to measure this through the use of one on one interview with both the educators and the students. When interviewing someone, one is able to create an interpersonal relationship with the interviewee. The created rapport between the interviewer and the interviewee may be used to lure the interviewee to confide in his interviewer. He or she is capable of being free and honest. Once there is honesty, the interviewer is in a position to establish whether or not the objectives of the practicum have been met. It is nevertheless possible to find some interviewees who will not click and confide in you. In order to overcome this challenge, such interviewees should be approached by their close friends for an honest correspondence. This measurement is very accurate and highly reliable. Learning Strategies are employed in using simulation to teach or learn. The learning strategies that are the most valuable for my practicum are literature search, working with a mentor and workshops. Literature search gives me the opportunity to find out from the documented material the findings of the forerunners in the industry. I am able to learn what the scholars discovered and put down on paper. The works of the later day researchers which improves on those of the ancient scholars are also obtainable through literature search. Working with a mentor is also important in that it gives me a godfather figure in the field. He or she has gone through the trouble before and understands the right channel to follow in order to succeed. Workshops are also important because they put together all the players in the field that are in the same level (Plymouth & Thatcher,1999). In such a forum, I am able to measure myself as compared to my equals and establish how much more or less I need to work. I would apply these strategies starting with working with a mentor so that I get the general plan and the way forward; then workshops so that I know what the expectations are and finally literature search as an implementation stage of the other initial strategies. Reflective journaling is another key element in teaching using simulation (Gomm & Davies, 2000). Personally, I have used reflective journaling in mentoring people. I hear the story of a person then sit down, reflect and deliberate on the story for a very long time. I put myself in the court of the person. I then start piecing together a journal of the story based on my own wild imagination of what the build up to the person’s problem might be. Every often it turns out that my reflective journal is actually the true account of the person’s life. I get to understand people’s problems better through reflective journaling. Upon understanding the problem well, I am capable of coming up with the best solution to the problem. It is only by putting oneself in a victim’s shoes that one is capable of fully comprehending what the victim is going through. Once you fully comprehend the problem, the solution that you come up with is one of the best if not the best. In teaching using simulation, a learning agreement is inevitable (Fraser & Mathews, 2008). Having a prior experience with a learning agreement simplifies the task. I have had a prior experience with learning agreement with my physical exercise instructor. We stroke a gentlemen’s agreement that I had to lose at least ten pounds, however long it would take. So I had to attend exercise sessions on the set times and the set intervals. I would never fail because it was stipulated in the learning agreement. It took a lot of patience and dedication but eventually the fruits of the learning agreement paid off. A learning agreement may also be used in teaching one to drive a public service vehicle; in rehabilitating one to quite a drug among others. Conclusion Simulation has been a heaven sent in the world of nursing education. It puts the students in the real case scenario without exposing the patients to real danger. I have had a great experience in employing simulation as a tool of teaching. References Brown B, Crawford P, Hicks C (2003) Evidence Based Research: Dilemma and debates in health care. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. Gomm R and Davies C (EDS (2000) using evidence in Nursing and Social Care. London: Taylor and Francis Keeping C (2008) Simulation Research. Connecticut: Cengage Learning Fraser S and Mathews S (2008) The clinical practitioner in Social Work and Health Care. New York: Springer Orme J (2007) Public Health for the 21st Century (2nd Edition). New Jersey: Wiley and Sons Plymouth P, Thatcher M, (1999) Nursing in the UK: Extensive research. London: Taylor and Francis Read More