Nursing Ed Using More Virtual Simulation, Other New Tech

A recent survey of thought leaders in the nursing field revealed that nursing education programs are accelerating adoption of virtual simulation and other cutting-edge technologies.

The study, conducted by Wolters Kluwer Health and the National League for Nursing Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology, found that 65 percent of nursing education programs currently use virtual simulation to train students, 84 percent use instructional video for skill development and 75 percent employ online/distance learning. Rounding out the technology landscape:

  • Adaptive quizzing and testing (used by 64 percent of nursing programs);
  • Electronic health record applications (60 percent);
  • Integrated digital curriculum (49 percent);
  • Mobile apps (41 percent);
  • Social media (37 percent);
  • Facetime/videoconferencing (35 percent); and
  • E-portfolios of student work (31 percent).

The survey also identified technologies where adoption is expected to increase significantly in the near future. Use of virtual reality will jump from 10 percent to 45 percent over the next five years; mobile apps will go from 41 percent to 59 percent; and data analytics tools and predictive analytics will go from 14 percent to 34 percent, the researchers predicted.

The top three reasons for all that change, according to the study:

  1. Changes in technology being used in practice;
  2. Nursing schools are adapting to meet the way incoming students learn; and
  3. Reduction in the number of available clinical sites.

"This survey confirms the important role nurse educators play in advancing the use of technology in the classroom through their willingness to act as early adopters and trailblazers," commented Julie Stegman, vice president and publisher, Nursing Education, Wolters Kluwer Health Learning, Research & Practice, in a statement. "By seeking out innovative technologies like adaptive quizzing and virtual simulation, nurse educators are helping to overcome resource challenges and pave the way for their peers in other areas of higher education to also benefit from these advances."

For more information on the survey, visit the Wolters Kluwer Health site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • glowing brain, connected circuits, and abstract representations of a book and graduation cap on a light gray gradient background

    Snowflake Launches Program to Upskill 100,000 People in Data and AI

    Cloud data platform Snowflake is embarking on an effort to train and certify more than 100,000 users on its AI Data Cloud by 2027. The One Million Minds + One Platform program will provide Snowflake-delivered courses, training materials, and free access to Snowflake software, at no cost to learners.

  • two abstract humanoid figures made of interconnected lines and polygons, glowing slightly against a dark gradient background

    Microsoft Introduces Copilot Chat Agents for Education

    Microsoft recently announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, a new pay-as-you-go offering that adds AI agents to its existing free chat tool for Microsoft 365 education customers.

  • hand touching glowing connected dots

    Registration Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Thriving in the Age of AI

    Tech Tactics in Education has officially opened registration for its May 7 virtual conference on "Thriving in the Age of AI." The annual event, brought to you by the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal, offers hands-on learning and interactive discussions on the most critical technology issues and practices across K–12 and higher education.

  • Three cubes of noticeably increasing sizes are arranged in a straight row on a subtle abstract background

    A Sense of Scale

    Gardner Campbell explores the notion of scale in education and shares some of his own experience "playing with scale" — scaling up and/or scaling down — in an English course at VCU.