Incorporation of technology in healthcare has led to innovations such as clinical virtual simulation that enhance the learning experience of nursing students and other healthcare providers. Virtual simulation involves the recreation of real clinical situations on a computer screen where real individuals operate the simulated systems. The simulation allows students to develop their communication, motor control, and decision-making skills, which are essential in patient care in real clinical situations (Aebersold, & Tschannen, 2013). As a nursing student, my virtual simulation experience during the weekly physical assessment and self-reflection undertakings have provided substantial learning moments. There are several instances that I remember, which considerably improved my clinical skills.
The first learning moment occurred with and EMS simulator that depicts an emergency situation. In this particular situation, an ambulance simulator with the correct dimensions was used. We, as the students, were supposed to practice loading and offloading a stretcher carrying a severely injured accident victim. The simulator required each of us to work in the limited environment of an actual ambulance and ensure that the patient receives quality care. The simulation also required us to have adequate communication and motor control skills to work in the ambulance's tight quarters. In a second instance, life-size patient models of manikin simulators were provided. The simulators could breathe and show realistic, vital signs of a patient. The simulators also had a pulse. In this simulation procedure, we were required to deliver a child through normal delivery. My task was to check the vital signs of the patient, such as breathing and pulse rates.
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In a third experience, standardized virtual patients with chronic illnesses such as stage 4 cancers were provided. The virtual patients were programmed to respond like real patients and portray symptoms of an actual patient (Forsberg, 2019). Our task was to explain to the patient and the family members the condition of their health in a compassionate manner. Most of the patients were at the end of life care, and this sad reality had to be explained to the patients. This task was the most difficult in all my virtual simulation tasks as it required that I depict advanced communication skills. This experience changed my attitude towards chronically ill patients as I was able to depict sympathy to both the patient and the family members. In another instance, I experienced the use of Virtual Reality to explore patients' reactions to various medical decisions. The virtual reality presented a medical emergency situation where a patient experienced lung constriction and difficulty breathing. As a nursing student, I was supposed to take action and improve the condition of the patient and observe the lungs' reaction.
Another experience was with simulated medications that provided an opportunity to learn about the packaging and dosing of oral medicines. In this case, we were supposed to practice medicine administration techniques and dosing to improve efficiency when issuing medication to patients. This was supposed to reduce medication errors that may result in inadequate healthcare provision. The last experience I had was in the use of augmented reality to enhance knowledge in human anatomy. In this case, augmented internal organs were virtually presented and overlaid onto the manikins' simulators providing a near-real experience of human anatomy. This experience enhanced my knowledge of human anatomy and understanding of the functioning of the human body.
References
Aebersold, M., & Tschannen, D. (2013). Simulation in nursing practice: The impact on patient care. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 18 (2).
Forsberg, E., Bäcklund, B., Hjort-Telhede, E., & Karlsson, S. (2019). Virtual Patient Cases for Active Student Participation in Nursing Education—Students’ Learning Experiences. Creative Education , 10 (7), 1475-1491.
