Module Components

• Overview
• Assignments

Topics

• Clinical Simulation
• Virtual Patients
• Standardized Patients
• Online/Hybrid Learning Environments

Nurs 791 - Instructional Strategies and Assessment

Module 6: Learner Moderated Strategies

Virtual Patients

Virtual Patients

As in other types of simulation, computer simulation software using virtual patients allows learners the opportunity to use selected “cases” for learning experiences as well as for performance evaluation. An example of such software is DxR Nursing Select which is widely used by health care professional students and faculty.

Please go to the web page DxR Development and explore the information available to you. Take a few minutes to so that you can begin to see how it works. You can do this by clicking on “Sample case”. In that section, if you click on “Working Through a Case: Quick Reference”, you can get additional information to help you in working through the case.

An important feature of this software allows faculty to use the cases supplied in the library of the software as is or modify the existing cases in the library to meet the parameters of a particular learning experience. Faculty may also create their own cases within this software.

Clinical competency evaluation within this software is accomplished using four utilities in which:

1. faculty do case selection/modification/creation and setting of grading criteria
2. learners examine and gather data from the virtual patient in their case, order tests as appropriate and interpret the results, make a differential diagnosis, and develop a plan of care for their virtual patients
3. faculty evaluate the record of student interactions with the virtual patient in their case
4. faculty track individual or aggregate learner group performance over cases or time.

Another major benefit of using software such as this is that learners can get feedback on their interactions with the virtual patient that can include comparisons with the evaluation criteria and information of costs of test they have ordered for their virtual patient.

Consistency of virtual patient cases across learners strengthens the evaluation of learner performance. Obviously, learners must have access to the software and have basic computer skills to be able to work with virtual patients. The major downside of this type of simulation is the high cost of this sophisticated software required.