Embracing the Future: Virtual Simulation & Competency-Based Education in Nursing
by Dr. Christi Doherty DNP, RNC-OB, CNE, CHSE, CDP, Executive Director, Nursing & i-Human Patients | October 8, 2024
As nurse educators, we’re constantly adapting to new challenges and innovations in teaching. With changes brought about by technology, shifting student needs, and recent events like the pandemic, it's clear that our approaches need to evolve too. Two trends that are really transforming how we teach are virtual simulation and competency-based education (CBE). Let's talk about why they're game-changers and how they work beautifully together to create meaningful, practical learning experiences for our students.
Why Virtual Simulation?
Imagine this: instead of organizing a complex clinical setup, getting all the students to the hospital, and hoping that they all get exposed to the right cases, you can simulate a whole range of patient scenarios at any time. That’s the beauty of virtual simulation. It’s a tool that provides an interactive, realistic learning environment where students can sharpen their skills without the risks associated with real-life practice.
Here’s why virtual simulation is so effective:
- Access to Diverse Scenarios: Every learner can experience complex cases that they might not see during limited clinical placements, such as a sudden postpartum hemorrhage or managing a mental health crisis.
- Repeatability and Safe Space for Mistakes: Students can practice scenarios repeatedly, allowing them to make mistakes, reflect on them, and improve—without the fear of harming real patients.
- Flexibility and Accessibility: Virtual simulations are available anytime, anywhere. This means educators can use these tools to supplement in-person training, offer remediation, or provide additional practice.
- Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap: By integrating theory and practice seamlessly, virtual simulation helps students understand the "why" behind their actions, making them more confident and competent when they step into real clinical settings.
So, whether it's building critical thinking, refining technical skills, or enhancing decision-making, virtual simulation brings the clinical experience to the learner’s fingertips—literally!
Competency-Based Education (CBE) and Its Synergy with Virtual Simulation
Competency-Based Education (CBE) shifts the focus from "time spent in class" to "what a student can actually do." It's all about ensuring learners achieve proficiency and competence in essential skills and knowledge areas—essentially, it's learning that is outcome-driven rather than time-bound.
Why CBE Matters in Nursing Education:
- Personalized Learning Paces: Not all learners are the same; some might breeze through medication administration, while others need extra practice with patient assessments. CBE allows students to progress at their own pace, ensuring they reach competence before moving on.
- Mastery of Skills Over Memorization: With CBE, the emphasis is on demonstrating skills, clinical judgment, and knowledge, rather than simply memorizing facts for an exam. This approach creates nurses who are ready to hit the ground running on Day 1.
- Aligns with Real-World Practice: Nurses are expected to be competent, confident, and ready to provide patient care from the start. CBE mirrors this expectation by ensuring students are capable practitioners when they finish their training, not just after they’ve "clocked in" a set number of clinical hours.
Combining Virtual Simulation with CBE: A Perfect Match
Virtual simulation is a natural fit for CBE. Here’s why:
- Real-Time Competency Assessment: Virtual simulations allow educators to assess student performance in a live, interactive environment, where they can see how learners apply skills, knowledge, and decision-making in real-time.
- Standardized Experience for Every Student: One of the challenges of traditional clinical experiences is variability; not all students will encounter the same learning opportunities. With virtual simulation, everyone experiences the same scenarios, ensuring equal exposure and opportunity to build competencies.
- Immediate Feedback and Reflection: CBE thrives on timely feedback and self-reflection. Virtual simulations come with built-in feedback mechanisms, giving students the opportunity to immediately review their performance and improve before moving forward.
- Promoting Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment: Virtual scenarios often include decision points, allowing students to weigh options, make choices, and see the outcomes—key elements of CBE that help develop competent, confident nurses.
How to Make the Most of Virtual Simulation and CBE in Your Classroom
Here are some ways educators can use virtual simulation and CBE in the nursing classroom:
- Map Virtual Simulations to Competency Goals: Identify key competencies you want your students to develop (e.g., communication, safe medication administration, patient assessment) and find a virtual simulation that aligns with those objectives.
- Incorporate Debriefing Sessions: After a virtual simulation, hold debriefing sessions to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and why. This reflection reinforces learning and helps students internalize best practices.
- Flexible Assessment Strategies: Use the data from virtual simulations to assess student progress toward competency, and tailor additional practice or instruction based on their needs.
- Blend Learning Approaches: Virtual simulation shouldn't replace all traditional learning but should complement it. Use it alongside lab practice, case studies, and clinical experiences for a comprehensive approach to learning.
- Promote Self-Directed Learning: Encourage students to use virtual simulation outside of formal class hours. Since they can access scenarios anywhere, they can practice at their convenience, taking ownership of their learning journey.
Nursing is all about competency—being able to effectively care for patients when it truly matters. By combining the flexible, immersive, and safe practice environment of virtual simulation with the outcome-focused, personalized approach of CBE, we’re preparing our students to be the best nurses they can be.
The future of nursing education is about adaptability, practical skill-building, and creating confident, competent practitioners. Virtual simulation and CBE aren’t just trends; they're here to stay. So, let’s embrace these tools, innovate our teaching, and lead our students toward success!
Dr. Christi Doherty is the Executive Director of Nursing & i-Human Patients at Kaplan North America. Dr. Doherty is a skilled researcher, valued professor of nursing, experienced clinical nurse, and designer of virtual simulations. She has earned certifications in nursing education, healthcare simulation education, diversity, and inpatient obstetrics. Dr. Doherty has published several books and journal articles and presented nationally and internationally on diverse subjects such as clinical judgment, mentorship, simulation, and students' engagement in statistics and informatics.