Nursing Simulation Learning Experiences
Simulation
Simulation is a reproduction of clinical situations and scenarios that presents you with the opportunity to enhance your relational practice and skill development in a safe learning environment. Simulation can be in the form of high fidelity mannequins, simulated participants, and virtual clinical scenarios. These scenarios incorporate content from theory courses, lab skills, and clinical content. For example, in first year, you will run through a scenario that requires donning and doffing of personal protective equipment with a health and wellbeing assessment of an elderly patient.
Mid- to High-Fidelity
In terms of simulation, fidelity refers to the level of realism associated with the teaching and learning strategies. This can refer to the technology involved in the simulation. However, high-fidelity scenarios can also occur without technology using resources such as patient actors. For example, in second year you will experience a high-fidelity street health simulation, where you will take on the role of a street nurse working with someone experiencing homelessness. The picture to left demonstrates a high-fidelity scenario with low technology.
Mid- to high-technology includes a range of mannequins and computer based learning. For example, The Hub makes use of mid- to high-fidelity mannequins. The Gaumard Family, Juno (CAE), and Laerdal Nursing Anne Mannequins are all apart of our larger teaching and learning family.
The Gaumard Family
Hal, pictured to the left, is a high-fidelity human patient simulator. He is able to blink and speak. Hal allows you to take his pulse at multiple pulse points, listen to a variety of lung and heart sounds, and administer IV medications. Noelle, pictured to the right, is a high-fidelity birthing simulator. You will work with Noelle to support her through the stages of labour. She can replicate a variety of experiences from a healthy vaginal birth to a post-partum hemorrhage. You can look forward to meeting Noelle's beautiful baby boy, Trent, at the end of your birthing simulation, setting you up for your next learning opportunity of a neonatal assessment.
The Gaumard family provides you with hands on experience of real-life situations that you may not otherwise encounter in the placement setting, elevating your nursing knowledge, skills, and judgment.
Low Fidelity
In terms of teaching and learning strategies, low-fidelity simulators (often referred to as "task trainers") are used to help you develop specific skills. For example, while learning wound care, you will use Seymour, a wound care task trainer, to identify and care for various wounds. This task trainer is a human buttocks with seven different wounds.
Virtual Simulation
Virtual simulation is a teaching and learning strategy that provides you with the opportunity to experience scenarios and intervene in clinical situations online. This affords additional practice opportunities that maximize your and patient safety while optimizing outcomes of care. You will engage with virtual patients in a variety of clinical settings that requires you to incorporate knowledge, skills, and judgment learned in theory and clinical courses. For example, in third year, you will experience an online emergency department scenario. You will need to prioritize your patients care, identifying their most critical needs, how to address those needs, and when to delegate interventions to other members of the health team.
