Patient simulators being used in nursing distance learning

UNMC College of Nursing faculty and students work on a case study with a patient simulator, while testing the Intern MXP system, which is composed of a portable videoconference unit that can slide up to the bedside. UNMC’s distance learning Internet Protocol network allows students anywhere in the country to see what their colleagues are seeing via live audio and video.

Annie arrived at the clinic not feeling well. She had a headache, her hands, feet and face were swelling, her blood pressure was high and she noticed a decrease in the movement of her unborn baby.

She lay prone wondering when she could go home. She told the nurses surrounding her that she was hungry and wanted to stop by the drive-thru for some french fries on the way home.

Then a voice from a speaker in the room offers recommendations on how to deal with Annie’s symptoms.

The voice belongs to a nursing student in Colorado enrolled in a UNMC master’s level course for the women’s health advanced practice nursing class. Annie, meanwhile, is a patient simulator that talks, breaths and is programmed to respond with real health problems.

The class was a case study on pregnancy-induced hypertension (preeclampsia). About half of the class of 12 was in the skills lab at the UNMC College of Nursing in Omaha, and the other half participated from their computers in Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Lincoln and western Nebraska.

UNMC College of Nursing faculty are testing the Intern MXP system for potential purchase. Made by Tandberg Manufacturing, the system is composed of a portable videoconference unit that can slide right up to a bedside along with a large flat screen monitor.

See more Click here to see Jan Twiss, Ph.D., and Patty Carstens discuss the significance of the class and the technology. Click here to see a class using the new technology.

The system connects students through UNMC’s distance learning Internet Protocol network. Students log into a bridge to receive live audio and video through videostreaming, said Pat Hoffman, ITS video service facilitator.
Patty Carstens, director of the College of Nursing’s Learning Resource Center, said the unit is being tested at UNMC for the first time.

“This is exciting,” said Jan Twiss, Ph.D., UNMC College of Nursing associate professor and women’s health nurse practitioner. “I believe this could be the first time in the country that live video-streaming with a patient simulator is being used with students enrolled in a distance education course.”

The unit provides a live, hands-on experience that will help prepare students for practice settings, she said. It allows patient assessment opportunities and problem-solving.

“It’s part of a pilot project of how simulation instruction can be delivered through distance learning modalities to students off campus. Students can watch live and participate in discussion,” she said.

The system also will increase learner-centered education, Dr. Twiss said, which fits into one of the strategic plan goals of UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.