Virtual Simulation in Nursing Education

The integration of technology with nursing curricula is a dynamic and increasingly necessary step in the evolution of nursing education. Schools of medicine have been using some form of virtual patient for over 40 years. The National League for Nursing has endorsed simulation as a teaching methodology to prepare nurses for practice across the healthcare continuum. This book offers nursing educators and administrators thoughtful and well-planned simulation integration strategies, and illustrates how students may use technologies to maximize learning and support practice. The book presents, explores, reflects, and expands on a new model for technology integration with nursing curricula. The Faculty Administrators Students Technology Simulation Integration Model^© (FAST SIM) provides a framework for guiding and evaluating the technology integration. The book is organized into four section comprising 19 chapters. Section one describes the evolving virtual learning landscape. It assess the virtual learning landscape, and describes the application of FAST SIM as the basis for integrating virtual educational technologies. Section two presents faculty perspective on pedagogical applications and specific integration strategies. It discusses the opportunities, challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of virtual technology integration. The section also explores the role of faculty in integrating virtual simulations and describes the design and creation of virtual gaming simulations in nursing education. It presents nursing student simulation scenarios within a virtual learning environment and discusses enhancing the rigor of virtual simulation. Section three describes a student’s journey encountering a virtual learning environment. It discusses mentor role in virtual simulation–mediated learning, and creating interprofessional simulation scenarios in virtual learning environments. The section also explores advancing nursing informatics knowledge and skills using a virtual learning environment. The final section presents an administrative perspective in navigating the chasm when a profound difference exists among stakeholders, viewpoints, and feelings regarding virtual simulation.