Online learning is considered a virtual learning environment (VLE); Please discuss the purpose of Virtual Simulation and how it can be used for nurses for re- educational purposes for bedside care.

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Solution

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE): Virtual Simulation

The application of technology to learning has enabled hitherto difficult concepts to be simplified through the virtual environment. Nursing students are in training and have not yet mastered the art and science of critical thinking in practical settings when having a real patient who is sick. For this reason, it would be unwise to subject such a patient to the attention of the student who has not yet acquired the requisite experience. This would be going against the bioethical principle of primum non nocere or nonmaleficence – not causing intentional harm (Haswell, 2019; Santhirapala & Moonesinghe, 2016). The solution to this is virtual simulation and the purpose of this paper is to discuss its usefulness in re-educating nurses on bedside skills.

In virtual simulation, the nurse is given an interactive scenario with a virtual patient that they are then required to assess, diagnose, and manage (Durham & Alden, n.d.). To do this, the nurse will have to use the same critical thinking skills and decision making as would be required when dealing with a real life live patient. This way, the nurse can practice bedside skills (affective and psychomotor skills) that will be useful when handling real patients. The virtual simulation will indicate if the nurse has made a correct decision or not and the nurse learns this way. Because it is a virtual learning environment (VLE), patient safety is safeguarded and no patient is put in harm’s way.

Conclusion

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are a revolutionary option for instruction of student nurses as they facilitate patent safety. A good example is virtual simulation that allows nurses to practice affective and psychomotor skills safely using a virtual patient instead of a live patient. The simulation allows them to make critical clinical decisions as they would with a real patient. This approach is effective because the virtual interaction enables the nurse to see if they have made a right decision or not.

References

Durham, C.F., & Alden, K.R. (n.d.). Enhancing patient safety in nursing education through patient simulation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2628/

Haswell, N. (2019). The four ethical principles and their application in aesthetic practice. Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, 8(4), 177-179. https://doi.org/10.12968/joan.2019.8.4.177

Santhirapala, R., & Moonesinghe, R. (2016). Primum non nocere: Is shared decision-making the answer? Perioperative Medicine, 5(16), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13741-016-0042-3