Alternative Clinical Learning Experiences for Nursing Education Using Virtual Individual Patients

Abstract

Acute care pediatric clinical experiences for undergraduate nursing students can present a challenge given the limited availability of clinical sites, increased restrictions, and variations in direct patient care experiences. Unfolding virtual individual patient pediatric simulations were developed using complex pediatric disorders with multiple physiological, psychosocial, and developmental components. Ten unfolding simulations were implemented to standardize clinical experiences and replace clinical hours. Students were evaluated using the Quint Leveled Clinical Competency Tool, demonstrating overall progressing ability to use clinical reasoning skills. Unfolding virtual individual patients allow for deliberate, coordinated, and consistent exposure to clinical experiences and are a valuable substitution for traditional clinicals.