clinical practice
Tech generation
Training the next generation of nurses for a digital future .
By Elise Hartevelt
Nursing Review spoke with the course director of Nursing at Swinburne University , professor Karen-Leigh Edward , about the role of digital technologies like interactive dummies to prepare future nurses for their profession .
Edward said there is a high demand for tech-savvy nurses who can lead the next generation into a digital healthcare world .
NR : What do you think makes a next-gen nurse ? KE : I think the demand for nurses has never been as high as now . It is being driven by the population and the imminent retirement of older nurses . We expect a shortfall of nurses in Australia of about 23,000 by 2030 . Healthcare is changing and the burden of disease is shifting .
There are more people with chronic diseases and multimorbidities . Nurses are already evolving to continue providing good quality and efficient care amidst these changes and emerging technologies . I think the future nurse will need to incorporate these digital technologies as they ’ re increasingly affecting nurses .
What role does technology play in the future of nursing ? I think that there are many ways digital technologies are already affecting
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patients through nursing practice . For example , this is where nurses can provide data monitoring and education , which drives down emergency department admissions .
This also includes mobile phones , particularly smartphones , with help applications which can be used by nurses offering care management , for example , for a patient who ’ s battling cancer .
You also said there is an urgent need for digital health technology and leadership in nursing . Why is that ? The integration of technology has been predominantly driven out of the US . But other countries and regions are expanding their digital nursing workforce . It is slow progress , but I think we could support nurses in championing these initiatives .
In nursing education , I believe we must urgently create opportunities for our undergraduate nursing students to determine how , where and why technology fits into nursing practice .
The patients are increasingly empowered , especially by the internet and any personalised self-management approach . As a result , the profession has now reframed a nurse ’ s interpretation of care for patients in this digital world .
What environment does Swinburne create to train nurses , and how does it help in their education ? Our Bachelor of Nursing program uses a blended learning approach and face- to-face learning such as the clinical environment calls for . In addition , the program ’ s third year has a compulsory course about digital technology and leadership in nursing .
We believe it will help our graduates be ready to interact with patients and their loved ones using digital technologies , and be leaders in reshaping how nurses interact with patients in a digital world .
The program also uses interactive dummies . What benefits do they provide and how life-like are they ? We have learning opportunities to simulate them with high-end simulation manikins . These support the simulation of clinical practice for student learners and provide the learners with a chance to conduct nursing assessments , interventions and evaluations .
Learners can also develop and refine their communication skills . They also learn in clinical settings and communicate with other healthcare professionals .
It is quite immersive for students to practise these soft and hard skills to assist them in the future . I ’ ve spoken with students of nursing who have over 800 clinical placements over the three years of their Bachelor ’ s degree .
And of course , they progress in intensity and complexity as the student advances , but in terms of our modern medical equipment and technology to support the learning of our students , we ’ re the most staffed medical equipment technology