Simulation and Its Use in Nursing Education Term Paper

Simulation and Its Use in Nursing Education - Term Paper Example All these are types of simulations which are put in one form or the other. Bottom-line, what they all have in common is that they are all done in a mock situation. This is appropriate because the stake holders perform steadfastly in the clinical setting (Keeping, 2008). Discussion Using simulation, it is simple to bridge the gap between the real condition and the ideal condition. A nursing educator would like to put his or her students into the ideal condition of dealing with real patients. This in reality is not possible because the students are not yet fully qualified to handle real patients in the ideal situation (Brown, Crawford & Hicks, 2003). They might just compromise their health. In order to curb this identified need as required by need assessment, simulation is used. Need assessment is a well choreographed process whereby the gaps or discrepancies between the conditions that are faced now and the ideal conditions are established and addressed appropriately. The students are placed in the ideal situation using simulation. ... Associate degree students who are preparing to handle patients in critical conditions are best taught using simulation. This puts them in an almost real scenario without real danger to the patients. Patients suffering from conditions such as Myocardial infarction and Congestive heart failure are in very critical conditions. In congestive heart failure the heart is not able to pump enough blood that meets all the needs of the body. Myocardial infarction on the other hand is a condition where an interruption occurs to the flow of blood to some part of the heart and as a result the cells of the heart give in and die. These students under simulation feel the real urgency and quagmire in a race to save the patients’ lives. They are compelled to have a rush of adrenalin and adopt enhanced critical thinking. Simulation therefore greatly benefits the medical teaching fraternity by alleviating the risk of harming critically ill patients from the inexperience of student professionals (O rme, 2007). Simulation in these critical conditions is however facing significant challenges. It is such a great huddle to cross in trying to create a precise simulated condition of the real situation that goes down in the operation theatres that handle these critically ill patients (Gomm & Davies, 2000). It might be quite a challenge to implement the practicum. Simulations are only the imitations of the real life scenarios. They are not quite the real thing. Going into a simulation environment with the full knowledge that the environment is only an imitation is such a challenge. It compromises the creativity and ability to learn or teach. In order to mitigate this challenge, it is important to try and forget the fact that a simulation is not the real life scenario. It is possible