Advancements in technology are constantly shaping and transforming modern healthcare. Nursing education programs incorporate numerous modes of technology, such as screen-based simulations that offer hands-on experience and aid students with case-based situations. Virtual simulation software and game-based learning support innovation, information retention and critical-thinking skills. As nursing incorporates more technological advancements to blend with the human element of caring for patients, more and more nursing students welcome the new technology.
An online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Nurse Educator program from Arkansas State University (A-State) can help you educate the next generation of nurses while utilizing technology and information systems to evaluate patient care systems and outcomes.
Latest Technology Trends in Nursing Education
Growing research shows the increasing potential for digital technology in nursing education programs. Using e-learning, web-based learning and technology-enhanced learning in a classroom transforms both the role of the student and the educator. The use of digital technology, whether in an online format or a blended learning classroom, changes the environment to a learner-centric approach.
Transferring information via digital technology and incorporating it into nursing education can enhance student engagement and improve collaboration, communication and information-sharing skills. Many students in younger generations are very comfortable using technology in the classroom. Using digital technology has several benefits in the nursing classroom:
- Integrating technology via distance learning, web-based streaming, real-time television interactions and simulation learning connects students to their teachers and helps them feel present.
- Simulation learning allows students to gain experience by mimicking case situations.
- Low-fidelity simulation incorporates a mannequin arm to practice intravenous needle insertion or a torso to practice CPR.
- High-fidelity simulation involves using a mannequin that uses software to deliver real-life situations. They replicate cardiac or respiratory systems, and educators can adjust the software to change the learning outcome.
Educators can use gaming technology on mobile phones or tablets. This interactive technology can simulate the process of providing medication to a patient or recording information in a chart. If a student misses a vital step, the technology provides immediate feedback, and the student can learn from the experience. The tool provides the opportunity to level up in each game, depending on the intent of the lesson. This mobile technology furnishes the option for learning wherever the student may be.
Benefits of Using Technology in the Classroom
By having access to technology, nursing students can research topics for clarification, reduce errors and gain information that supports a better understanding of the clinical practice. Incorporating technology into a classroom learning environment can provide practice using electronic charting and simulating real-life nursing situations. Using gaming strategies as a teaching method in nursing classrooms allows nursing students to practice their skills in a low-risk environment. Today’s tech-savvy students can enjoy a positive learning experience with low stress while developing deeper learning of the subject matter.
Nurse educators must embrace using technology in the classroom to prepare nursing students to enter the workforce. When teaching students, nurse educators must be competent and comfortable using technology as part of their curriculum. When they can properly use and demonstrate technology in the classroom, the students learn how to correctly employ the technology on their own and increase their own learning experience.
Future nurse educators enrolled in the online MSN – Nurse Educator program will take classes, such as Curriculum Development in Health Professions and Teaching in Advanced Nursing Roles, to help them prepare for a career as a hospital educator, clinical educator, nursing faculty member or military nursing educator.
Learn more about Arkansas State University’s Master of Science in Nursing – Nurse Educator program.