In: Nursing
4. Technology-based nursing education is the education modality for nursing today.. Do these techniques appear to be as effective as traditional class work in ensuring that students achieve the goals or competencies of the nursing program?
Technology strike out the traditional borders of space and time, which allows nurses to reach out to the innovations in care, proven best practices and insights from academic research on the fly at the patient’s bedside whether the patient is in a hospital, private home, an outpatient facility, and a rehabilitation center.
As utilization of technology in nursing and medicine has expanded, so has technology’s plays very important role in nursing education.
Nursing students may have access to online education, live and web-based simulations, reference guides, electronic textbooks and different apps on mobile devices.
Technology also has the potential to reshape teaching by ushering in a new model of connected teaching. This model links teachers to their students and to professional content, systems and resources, to help them refine their own instruction and personalize learning.”
Online Education
One of the biggest changes brought by technology is the availability of online degree programs. A working nurse can complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nursing Administration or other online MSN programs without having to move and find a new job. These programs offer convenience and flexibility that can allow more people to pursue a degree.
Simulated Environments
Other important use of technology is mannequins. Instructors can program the mannequins to mimic scenarios nurses might see in clinical practice. Students can take vital signs and make decisions based on the mannequin’s symptoms. It is a safe environment where students can practice their critical thinking and decision-making skills, knowing the mannequin will not stay dead if it dies, according to an article at Advance for Nurses.
Mobile Technology
The use of mobile technology in nursing gives students (and working nurses) access immediately to drug references, medical textbooks, , using apps, diagnoses, online guides on smartphones and tablets.
Nursing programs vary day by day in the type of technology they employ, and they initiate new technology almost daily. No doubt the future will bring more technological ways to enhance the educational process for nurses at the same time keeping in the mind in improving the patient safety.