NURS FPX 6112 Assessment 3 Comparison of Types of Simulation Technology

Comparison of Types of Simulation Technology

An undergraduate BSN program should include Adult Health Nursing and Clinical Decision-Making courses, which assist the student in enhancing their clinical skills. Senior nursing students, as well as the newly registered nurses, must be taught how to manage patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). There are comorbidities like peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease that make the treatment of T2DM more difficult. The structured learning experience will aid the students in making better choices and understanding the cases more. When it comes to simulation, it is possible to apply theories, and there is no possibility of harming the health of the patient. Studies indicate that structured simulation is an effective way of equipping students to undertake their clinical duties (Ravi et al., 2022). Virtual simulations, such as the Sentinel U Evan Wright case, and high-fidelity manikins, such as Laerdal SimMan, are two of the most common educational tools. The comparison reveals that the Evan Wright case at Sentinel U is concerned with chronic illness care, in comparison to high-fidelity manikins like Laerdal SimMan, which provide experience with skills.

Simulation Technologies

Virtual Simulation, such as that of Sentinel U, Evan Wright, places students in virtual conditions where they explore and solve chronic cases such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a team. The simulation provides learners with a demonstration of using physical exams, medications, and the learning of the processes in the body when making decisions (Moztarzadeh et al., 2023). It also focuses on critical thinking because it presents patient cases in which the result is determined by the actions of the user. The users are requested to undergo the process of learning, to think about what they do, and to link theoretical concepts to their clinical considerations.

Thus, it is excellent to build higher-order skills, effective decision-making within the healthcare environment, and trust to cope with chronic diseases. In the Evan Wright case, the students are managing a patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and other complications like leg pain, which requires critical thinking in the form of decision-making on how to assess the patient, manage the medication, and interpret the disease processes. The simulation provides instant feedback and lets one practice repeatedly in a low-resource, flexible environment. Sentinel U is an asynchronous and scalable approach to learning and prioritizes critical thinking, documentation, and clinical-reason decision-making, which is especially convenient and economical to operate with a large student group.

In contrast, working with a Laerdal SimMan 3G manikin implies that students will be able to train with the equipment that will act as in a real medical scenario. They have haptic pulses, photoreactive eyes, chest actions, voice reactions, and adjustable vital signs to allow students to check and cure patients on the spot (Moztarzadeh et al., 2023). They may be applied to develop such skills as listening with the help of stethoscopes, initiation of IVs, CPR, and emergency management. Simulations that are challenging logically cause learners to think jointly quickly and introduce clinical urgency to the room. Although more costly and resource-heavy, SimMan provides hands-on training of psychomotor skills, realistic patient interactions, and group dynamics that are reflective of real bedside care.

Because Sentinel U is available on the internet, it is more convenient to reach a greater number of people. Still, with high-fidelity manikins, one would have to learn on-site with an instructor. In Sentinel U, students get to know about numerous situations and become skilled in the mental aspect, and also, when they use manikins, they acquire skills practically in real body simulation. Sentinel U is relatively cheap and can be integrated with numerous programs, whereas high-fidelity manikins are very expensive in terms of equipment, space, and maintenance (Baily, 2020). The Sentinel U might be more efficient and effective in the framework of the Adult Health and Clinical Decision-Making course, as it could be easily implemented, requires minimal technical assistance, is portable, and is directly connected to assessment-centered outcomes of learning.

Educational Outcomes

The manikins and the simulation tool of Sentinel U have varying functions on the educational outcomes. The Evan Wright simulation is better remembered because it has repetitive scenarios and provides quick feedback. Such learning focuses on the key medical concepts and makes them remain in the minds of patients over time, primarily in the case of chronic illnesses. It is not that difficult to reinforce the theoretical knowledge, as these materials are identical and can be read from any place under the condition that the internet is available (Hippalgaonkar et al., 2023).

On a different note, high-fidelity practice is more effective in learning, as the manipulation of the manikin enhances memory. IV insertion, and auscultation are some of the things that assist the students to learn to relate learning with activities they encounter in real-life scenarios, guided by their teachers. By using the Evan Wright simulation, students are able to acquire knowledge in assessing the refills and the skin changes through a virtual assignment. It will not provide you with an experience that will help you become a master of the techniques. Due to high-fidelity manikins, students will be able to conduct full-fledged exams and become accustomed to the actual skills required to work in medicine.

The two approaches also differ in the metrics they employ to determine the learning outcomes. Sentinel U uses built-in performance feedback, decision logs, and surveys of satisfaction with the learners to determine student success. Teachers can measure the results based on the score in the quiz, self-reflections, and case completion analytics. In the case of SimMan, educators frequently assess the performance of technical skills and teamwork with the help of checklists, rubrics, standardized evaluation forms, and peer or faculty observation (Hippalgaonkar et al., 2023).

Evan Wright’s simulation in particular is useful in presenting complex chronic care scenarios that compel students to focus on what matters, exercise their pharmacologic competence, and make predictions of patient progress. This makes learners acquire good reasoning skills and learn how to think in the long run. High-fidelity manikins can be used when the students are in an emergency or other critical situations to teach them about the necessity to respond to changes quickly. Sentinel U simulations aid in knowledge retention and critical thinking by involving decisions made in cases repeatedly, whereas Laerdal SimMan builds on hands-on clinical abilities and collaboration.

The simulations can help to evaluate education through offering surveys, reflection journals, exams, skill rubrics, and OSCEs (Hippalgaonkar et al., 2023). Each of the simulations begins with objectives provided in the pre-briefing phase, moves through an interactive phase, and concludes with a discussion about the review. Simulation manikins usually receive instructor-provided feedback and videos after a scenario, while Evan Wright receives a performance summary and feedback after a scenario. The combination of the two methods can also be used to enhance reflective learning among the students and ensure they excel in clinical positions. Post Sentinel U simulation debriefing is usually reflective, based on automated feedback or instructor-guided discussion, compared to SimMan debriefing, which is more interactive and is based on teamwork, communications, and practical performance discussed in a recorded video or notes of observers.

Evidence-Based Rationale

Studies indicate that the two simulations assist in the development of various capabilities among nurses. As El-Rashidy et al. (2021) note, the scenario-based simulations developed by Evan Wright allow enhancing knowledge and confidence when addressing chronic diseases. Through such platforms, students can apply concepts in the lectures in safe tests, which improves their understanding of what they are doing. In the meantime, research by Barbadoro et al. (2023) has proved that high-fidelity simulation leads to accuracy of skills and increased confidence and stress tolerance. It is established that Sentinel U is effective in the teaching of the theory and strategies, to increase the practice of the skill and the habit of responding; high-fidelity manikins are required.

Teaching Physical Assessment

Although the Evan Wright simulation and high-fidelity manikin of Sentinel U are good, they work well together in the teaching of physical assessment. The case of Evan Wright makes the learners question themselves on what to be attentive to in case of complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, which is pain in the legs, reddening, loss of sensation, and slow capillary refill. By making students explain their findings and relate them to the associated pathophysiological processes, the simulation allows them to gain the ability to use neurovascular assessment and apply it to diabetic foot treatment (Bender et al., 2021).

Conversely, high-fidelity manikins such as Laerdal SimMan enable students to test a full physical examination on a realistic model and get immediate auditory and tactile feedback on the quality of their usage of auscultation, palpation, and blood pressure cuff. In discussing cases and patterns in Evan Wright, healthcare learners acquire skills in reasoning, and practicing on high-fidelity manikins enables them to train the skills required to conduct an assessment (Bender et al., 2021). Sentinel U enhances the rationale of diagnosis, but SimMan is more successful in improving the tactile and procedural skills necessary to conduct a proper physical assessment. A good example is that when noting reduced vascularity in a diabetic patient, it is most effective to use the responsive physiology of SimMan to detect the presence of reduced pedal pulses.

Teaching Pharmacology

The Evan Wright simulation and the high-fidelity manikin (HFM) scenarios address pharmacological concepts of integration differently, and some of them are more successful than the rest. Evan Wright will include metformin, insulin, NSAIDs, and antibiotics, where the learners have to consider the renal function, drug interactions, the correct dose to administer, and the patient, including age, and progression of the disease. Guidelines on how to make clinical decisions are published by such groups as the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and they make the student monitor the effects of the drug, its targets, and potential risks (Bender et al., 2021). The simulation offers real-time feedback, which supports the knowledge of drug mechanisms, such as the functions of insulin in glucose regulation and possible adverse effects. This online space encourages critical thinking since the students will be requested to explain pharmacologic decisions with reference to comorbidities, laboratory findings, and patient history.

Conversely, high-fidelity manikins provide learners with an opportunity to apply practical techniques to administering shots, IVs, and treating emergencies such as hypoglycemia, as well as demonstrate to the learners how to behave in case of adverse side effects. Nevertheless, drug-related management can hardly apply in the situations related to HFM unless the case contains much clinical information or educator prompts (Bender et al., 2021).

Evan Wright enables students to learn selecting, monitoring, and understanding the effects of medications on patients in a better way than others, and this is instrumental in enabling nursing students to apply pharmacology more efficiently in their learning. Students physically draw and administer medications, practice IV push or infusion procedures, and monitor the change of vital signs with reference to drug administration. Adverse reactions or treatment improvements can be simulated by the programming of SimMan, and allow learners to become familiar with the relationship between pharmacokinetics and patient outcomes.

Teaching Pathophysiology

The simulation by Evan Wright discusses pathophysiology better than it would be discussed in a normal HFM-based situation. Evan Wright describes the specifics of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and its complications, including neuropathy, poor blood circulation, and high risks of infections that can be caused by the disease, allowing students to understand that phenomena such as low sensation, sluggish blood capillary fill, and pain in the legs can be attributed to Type 2 Diabetes. On the simulation, the learners will be able to visualize how chronic diseases affect various systems, and anticipate the frequent complications, including ischemia, kidney damage, and heart issues (Ndumele et al., 2023).

The simulation demonstrates to the students how various treatments or actions are to be embraced since it is a simulation of new symptoms of a disease. More appropriate for sudden changes, such as tremors or shortness of breath, are high-fidelity manikins such as Laerdal SimMan. However, their impact on current and widespread severe diseases is often still not evident until much additional information is introduced by the facilitator or scenario (Valente et al., 2023). Consequently, Evan Wright provides a systematic and cohesive approach to the process of learning about pathophysiology, and it puts particular emphasis on the management of chronic conditions, which is more helpful in guiding the process of treating patients.

Sentinel U educates pathophysiological ideas through integration of disease pathologies into real patient situations, whereby learners are expected to analyze symptoms, lab, and histories to identify diagnoses and correct medical treatment plans. In the Evan Wright case, the students would evaluate the effect of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on peripheral circulation and neuropathy and make links between hyperglycemia, vascular damage, and pain in the legs. The simulation helps students to use pathophysiological reasoning to defend their care decisions, supporting theoretical knowledge and clinical reasoning, and no harm is inflicted on real patients (Ndumele et al., 2023). This is in favor of further insight into the development and modification of chronic diseases through physical and pharmacologic interventions.

Challenges and Benefits

The Evan Wright virtual simulation by Sentinel U is a set of features that are useful in enhancing nursing education. It is inexpensive, adaptable, and can accommodate any number of students; therefore, students can use on-site or online classes to accomplish clinical reasoning activities anywhere. This program conforms to the INACSL Standards of Best Practice in Simulation and aligns with the ideas in the Simulation Theory presented by Jeffries, which is why it increases student-centered learning, develops better reflection, and results in competency-based outcomes (Salcedo et al., 2022). The fact that it is ADA-compliant assists in making sure that students with physical or sensory impairments would be able to utilize the features of the simulation, including the use of screen readers and captioning. However, a lack of tactile training limits the learning process, as one does not get the experience of doing things with their hands through games. Furthermore, when the students lack good technology at home, this type of teaching may not be easy for them.

Conversely, HFMs are incredibly realistic and aid in educating emergency care, crisis management, and organization of groups of care providers. Students can practice such measures as CPR, IV placement, hearing the heartbeat and breathing, and at the same time, changing the conditions of a patient. Due to these qualities, HFMs are useful in the creation of motor skills and the encouragement of the extent to which individuals observe what occurs in their immediate environment. Nevertheless, HFMs have significant challenges in use. These simulations are not readily available and require specific rooms and equipment along with trained technicians to install and maintain (Salcedo et al., 2022). Certain physically challenged students encounter ADA problems due to their inability to cope with most of the manual or physical activities, even though Sentinel U can be easily applied in chronic care education and enhance the decisions, along with the confidence of learners, and high-level preparedness to such situations, as ACLS needs high-fidelity simulation.

Recommendations

The application of the Sentinel U Evan Wright module must be one of the key components of any nursing course dealing with chronic illness and decision-making in clinical cases. The simulation program, based on the recommendations offered by the Simulation Theory proposed by Jeffries and the INACSL Standards, provides the students with a structured, clear, and tested method of practicing critical thinking and decision making in the process of providing care to the patients. HFM labs are used frequently to enhance practical skills and proficiency during emergencies. With the given approach, students will learn to perform practical work and think logically using theoretical principles (Maries & Singh, 2023). The two simulation tools have peer-reviewed research work to support the enhancement of the student learning process and the assessment reports on the assistance of each to various aspects of nursing education.

Conclusion

The simulation and manikins taught at Sentinel U by Evan Wright provide a special value to the learning process among nurses. It simplifies the process of developing how to deal with chronic conditions and engage in clinical reasoning, and makes it more organized. High-fidelity manikins are more appropriate for performing and becoming confident in various procedures. Both technologies are helpful, but by combining them, one can learn more thoroughly. Once both skills are acquired in the curriculum, students acquire the knowledge that they need when faced with difficulties in the actual nursing work.