Computer-Based Simulations Enhance Clinical Experience of Dietetics Interns

The development and evaluation of Student Training, Education and Practice for Dietetics CD‐ROM: a computer‐assisted instruction programme for dietetic students

“…, 1995; Wise, 1998; Litchfield et al. , 2000; Turner et al. , 2000), the STEP‐DIET CD‐ROM is a unique innovation for preparing students for clinical practice.…”

“…CAI has been shown to improve clinical reasoning skills (Raidl et al. , 1995) and enhance initial clinical performance (Turner et al. , 2000) in dietetic students.…”

“…Although second year students cited flexibility as one of the major advantages of CAI, they were reluctant to accept responsibility for their own learning. Although various forms of CAI have been used previously in dietetic education (Raidl et al, 1995;Wise, 1998;Litchfield et al, 2000;Turner et al, 2000), the STEP-DIET CD-ROM is a unique innovation for preparing students for clinical practice. Students therefore, were unfamiliar with this approach to learning, which probably explained part of their reluctance to accept this method of teaching in preference to traditional didactic lectures.…”

“…CAI has been shown to improve clinical reasoning skills (Raidl et al, 1995) and enhance initial clinical performance (Turner et al, 2000) in dietetic students. In this study the majority of the second year students perceived their ability to conduct a dietetic interview had improved, especially with regard to information gathering, assessment, interpretation and advice giving and therefore their competence to relate theory to practice.…”

The Time Is Now: A Blueprint for Simulation in Dietetics Education

“…1,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Health professions educators have noted many advantages that may be realized from the use of simulations, including: reduction of risk to patients while students are acquiring professional skills 7,8,24,25 ; ability for instructors to focus on student learning rather than on actual patient care 5,26,27 ; optimization of scarce clinical education resources by reducing time in facilities and by relieving pressure on supervised practice sites 5,6,25,28 ; improved documentation of student achievement through the use of sequential checklists that are easily applied to standardized simulations 25 ; enhanced quality of patient care promoted by consistency in students' simulated experiences 5,8 ; repeatability of experiences based on student learning needs, with at least one researcher 29 noting a dose-response effect; development of situational critical thinking ability in a manner compatible with best education practice; that is, moving from simpler to more complex skills in an organized fashion to connect new learning with previous learning [30][31][32] ; ability to design team-based simulations to promote interprofessional and/or interdisciplinary communication skills 5,33,34 ; prompt debriefing of simulation experiences with learners to advance student learning 2,5,35 ; accrual of experiences and data that can potentially improve the quality of education throughout health care professions 2,5 ; development of targeted resources designed to promote achievement of designated competencies 2,5 ; and increased confidence for students, who are able to practice dealing with complex situations in a safe environment before enco...…”