Mary Saleff

Intrinsic motivation  should be the main goal of educators for all their students.  Start with why did you get into nursing?  All students share their responses.  Share the rationale & purpose of everything we teach.  Students need to be satisfied & happy with this career choice to stay motivated to continue on.

I do not have the equipment to make VR scenarios.

Comment on pete mata's post: I was surprised to learn that aspect of VR scenarios

Well, I will not be developing VR scenarios.  I do not have the equipment or time.

We are just in the beginning of Virtual Reality & all the different uses & various career fields that it can be integrated into.  I will definitely stay up to date with what is going on with Virtual Reality so I can integrate it into the VN program at ACC.

I just checked meta.com.  There are so many games that are VR!  I will look around to see if there is anything to do with nursing scenarios.

Requiring a "computer course" in the first term of the VN program would be extremely helpful to the wide range of students in the nursing courses ( teens to adults).  Many teens might know how to text, but can they successfully navigate around the programs & upload & download required information.  Many adult learners have limited computer knowledge.  This course would definitely alleviate some of the anxiety seen in new students.

Vocational Nurses are required by the Board of VN/PT to have 30 units of Continuing Education every 2 years to keep their license active.  As part of the Management & Leadership class I introduce the students to NAPNES.  The National Association for Practical Nurses Education & Service that provides courses, certifications, continuing education, and education standards.  Student nurses can join NAPNES, memberships cost $10.00 /year for students.

I plan to encourage all my VN students to join NAPNES.

"The ability to interact effectively with others is crucial".  This can be developed by use of class discussions & presentations, as well as working in groups.  Discuss with students the 4 Basic learning styles  in order to understand other people's learning style (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic).

Writing across the curriculum.  I think this is one aspect that ACC VN program lacks.  This is a trade school, so students do not receive a degree.  Students are in this school to "get a career".  The development of writing skills would be difficult to tackle as this is a fast paced, computerized learning program. 

The lack of Critical thinking in student nurses & new graduates has been a concern to the nursing profession.  It negatively affects the quality of service & directly relates to the high error rates.  One study identified that approximately 88% of novice nurses make medication errors with 30% due to lack of critical thinking.  Failure to rescue was reported as high as 37% (Gonzalez, Hsiao, Dees, et.al 2022).

The authors identify that Nurse Educators need to change the way they teach nursing to prepare students to be effective communicators, critical thinkers, & creative problem solvers.  Evidence-based practice has been advocated… >>>