Research paper in Technology Health, Medicine, Nursing Research Paper

Virtual Simulation
Name
Institution
Due Date
Abstract
Technology continues to usher the world into new and greater heights of success. One example of revolutionary technology is virtual simulation which appears to be the solution to some issues currently being experienced in nursing education. Hospitals are in need of practice-ready nurses. However, in the current nursing programs, only a small number of applicants are accepted because of the inadequacy of clinical sites. The above thus adds to the problem of nursing shortage which heavily impacts patient outcomes. However, the advent of virtual simulation and its use in nursing education seems to have helped nursing educators deal with the problems highlighted above. Other benefits of integrating virtual simulation in nursing education are that it helps enhance students’ communication skills, critical thinking skills, and clinical reasoning. Like any other technological innovation, virtual simulation also has its disadvantages but these are outweighed by the benefits. Some changes are imminent, however, if nursing education is to make good use of virtual simulation. Some recommendations include curriculum mapping and the introduction of enhanced virtual environments.
Virtual Simulation
Introduction
With technological innovations taking over the world, it has become imperative that every sector finds a way to integrate and enhance its effectiveness. In the education sector, technology has also been adopted. In nursing education, for example, numerous technologies have been adopted to help ensure that nurses are practice-ready after they leave school. In a national survey conducted in 2017, Wolters Kluwer Health announced that more nursing education programs are integrating new technologies to help ensure nursing graduates are practice-ready. One particular piece of technology that has been used in nursing education is virtual simulation. Virtual simulation is simply explained as the simulation or imitation of reality in a virtual environment. The goal of simulating reality is to help participants explore the virtual environment which is manipulated with real variables. In nursing education, for example, the virtual environment could be manipulated with practical challenges or intense/high-risk clinical experiences. In replicating the real world, it is believed that nurses are able to enhance self-efficacy and possibly clinical reasoning.
Background
Currently, there is a shortage of clinical sites for nursing students, and the need for a solution to this issue is growing (Lippincott Nursing Education, 2017). Furthermore, hospitals continue to have growing demands for practice-ready nurses. However, with many nursing education programs adopting virtual simulation, these problems are slowly being dealt with. The survey done by Wolters Kluwer Health in 2017 revealed that currently, 65% of nursing education programs have integrated virtual simulation. With such trends, the healthcare sector is set to greatly enhance healthcare outcomes with the graduation of practice-ready nurses. Every addition or technological idea is conceived to help deal with particular issues in society, and virtual simulation appears to have been introduced to alleviate issues in th...