Exploring Nursing Students' Perspectives of a Novel Point-of-View Disability Simulation

Virtual reality to foster empathy in disability workers: A feasibility study during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Empathy is a critical skill required by disability workers. Virtual reality may increase access to staff training to foster empathy.

METHOD

A mixed methods feasibility study investigated a custom-built virtual reality program, IMercyVE, which aimed to immerse a disability worker in a first-person perspective of having intellectual disability. Data were collected through online surveys (n = 9) completed before and after use of IMercyVE, and by videoconference focus groups (n = 6).

RESULTS

Qualitative findings included that IMercyVE delivered a novel experience for participants and a distinctive mode of learning that assisted participants to deepen their levels of empathy. Descriptive analyses of the surveys indicated that participants' empathy increased after engaging with IMercyVE.

CONCLUSIONS

IMercyVE has the potential to be offered as a remotely delivered and flexible staff training modality suitable for building empathy. Further research with a larger sample is warranted.

Inclusion of Disability Content in Simulation: An Evaluation of the Learners' Perspective on the Effectiveness of a Pediatric Tabletop Simulation

BACKGROUND

Despite recommendations to include disability content in nursing education, nursing students have little exposure to disability education, which would help to develop necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes in learning to care for patients with disabilities.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated learners' perceptions of the effectiveness of a tabletop simulation in meeting their learning needs related to nursing care for children with disabilities and their families.

METHODS

The research design was a descriptive educational intervention study. Nursing students (n = 234) enrolled in the pediatric nursing course attended the simulation as a required part of their coursework.

RESULTS

The majority of the students found the tabletop simulation with disability content to be an effective educational intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained from this study indicated that the tabletop simulation was an effective educational strategy for nursing students' learning to provide care for children with disabilities and their families.

Exploring nursing students' experiences of blindness simulation: A phenomenological study

Aim

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of blindness simulation among a group of nursing students.

Design

This qualitative study was conducted using an interpretive phenomenological method.

Methods

Using purposeful sampling method, students were informed and invited to participate in the research through the Website of Tehran School of Nursing and Midwifery. We listed the candidates and until data saturation and compilation of the study, 8 students entered the study. They shared their experiences about blindness simulation through individual in‐depth and semi‐structured interviews. We continued the interviews until the data were saturated. The transcribed interviews were analysed by Colaizzi's approach.

Results

The results of data analysis resulted in three major themes and nine sub‐themes, which were conceptually named based on their nature. The major themes included abandoned in the labyrinth puzzle, vision of heart and self‐alienation.

Adding telehealth simulation into NP programs

NP educators are challenged to ensure their students have opportunities to learn how to apply skills within a telehealth context. This article presents an integration of telehealth into clinical learning, depicting the connectedness possible when a healthcare professional and patient are challenged by geographic distance.