HKU_Newsletter_Issue43_0128

Teaching and Learning TDG Project: Experiential Learning to Enhance Nursing Students’ Situation Awareness Regarding Patient Safety Background Nowadays, nurses are facing challenges from the stress of increasing patient expectations in providing effective and safe nursing care. It is common for newly graduated nurses to experience stress and frustration when they find that they cannot make prompt clinical judgements accurately, especially when patients’ conditions are deteriorating. In order to well equip the final-year students for their long consolidation practicum and future work after graduation, a simulation workshop introduced them to the term ‘situation awareness’ and provided them with experiential learning opportunities in order to strengthen their clinical judgement ability. Many studies have demonstrated that situation awareness plays a vital role in healthcare and patient safety, influencing nurses’ decision- making and eventually clinical outcomes, while simulation exercises benefit nursing students’ learning. Using simulations in nursing education has become important to facilitate skills, enhance safety, eliminate errors and improve nursing students’ decision-making and critical thinking (Harder, 2010, Reese, Jeffries, & Engum, 2010). In the simulation workshop, students assess, identify and manage a deteriorating patient. With the use of simulated patients, students are stimulated to reflect on their performance of clinical skills, decision making and patient safety. Alumni are invited to join the workshop and act as a senior nurse in the simulated ward, which makes the setting more realistic. Students also interact and communicate effectively, particularly when facing a situation of patient deterioration. With support from a Teaching Development Grant (TDG) (2017/2018) awarded by the University Grants Council (UGC) in Hong Kong, we conducted a project entitled ‘Experiential learning to enhance nursing students’ situation awareness regarding patient safety’. This project aimed at enhancing nursing undergraduates’ clinical judgement through life scenarios by simulated patients. The specific objectives were: 1. To enhance nursing students’ awareness of implementing quality and safe practice; 2. To strengthen nursing students’ knowledge, confidence and competence in providing safe care; and 3. To enhance nursing students’ interpersonal skill including communication skill and teamwork. (From left, 2 nd row) Mr. Adrian Yau Research Assistant Ms. Michelle Pang Lecturer Dr. JanetWong Associate Professor Ms. Claudia Chan Lecturer (From left, 1 st row) Ms. DoDo Chow Assistant Lecturer Dr. Maggie Chan Lecturer Mr. Edmond Chan Assistant Lecturer (Not in picture) Dr. Jay Lee Research Assistant Professor Prof Simon Cooper Professor, Federation University Australia 4