Today, GW Nursing launched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) aimed at preparing health care professionals to effectively incorporate health care simulation into their teaching. The MOOC follows the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning standards of best practice.
GW Nursing Dean Pamela Jeffries is a pioneer in the use of health care simulation in nursing education and author of the NLN/Jeffries Simulation Theory. The theory set forth guidelines that simulation should be collaborative and transparent—the student, simulated patient (if one is used) and faculty should know exactly what’s expected and what the objectives are—and is commonly used by nursing educators at the undergraduate level.
"Simulation education offers unparalleled freedom for nurses and other health professionals. Controlled, simulated environments allow you to try and fail, then learn from your mistakes,” she said. Dean Jeffries sees the role of simulation in health care education expanding as the nursing profession works to establish a framework for using simulation in advanced practice nursing education.
This course, called Essentials in Clinical Simulations Across the Health Professions and offered through Coursera, is broken down into seven modules. Participants may explore all of the modules, or only those that complement their professional growth.
- Getting Started in Clinical Simulation
- INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation
- Implementing Simulation in the Curriculum
- Developing a Simulation Center
- Basics of Debriefing in Simulation
- Evaluation Methods in Simulation
- SPs in Simulation
GW Nursing also offers another MOOC, Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety, through Coursera.