Innovative Approaches to Nurse Teaching and Learning

Nurse educators increasingly struggle to meet the dynamic needs of a complex health care system with ever more complex patient needs and care. Innovations in nurse learning and teaching are emerging with developments in technology and in part driven by pressure to source safe and diverse practice environments to engage students with increasing skills for twenty-first century healthcare. Simulation-based education strategies have been in existence for some time. Simulation needs to be realistic and believable in order for students to learn. Furthermore, high fidelity technology as simulation exists too and is evident in many areas most notably in the gaming industry and is emerging as useful in many education situations. Literature around its use within nursing is sparse but arguably points to potential. However, there are drawbacks: cost, space, accessibility and scope for larger student groups. Findings from a recent EU Erasmus funded research project focusing on simulated learning will be presented and explored. This project termed Innovation Simulated Pedagogy for Academic Development (ISPAD) devised and tested a range of simulation scenarios to capture the realities and diversities of practice and the impacts and challenges it offers. ISPAD comprised a partnership of ten European Universities collaborating and co-producing simulation resources for nursing students and champion simulation training for nurse educators.