A Revolutionary Approach to Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Education: Preparing the 21st Century NNP

Purpose: Trainees are increasingly required to attain a minimum competence prior to providing patient care, and many accreditation bodies now mandate demonstration of competence prior to licensure or board certification. The opposing forces of increased expectations and reduced resources have greatly impacted the training of health care professionals. A hybrid of new technologies may offer one step towards the reconciling of this paradox. The purpose of this education project is to prepare neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) within a virtual living world. Providing clinical learning experiences in the virtual NICU will enhance students' opportunities to learn to care for the culturally diverse populations they will serve as NNPs.

Methods: This is a longitudinal, observational study comparing the traditional method of education to non-linear asynchronous, internet based 3D virtual ‘living world.’ Neonatal experts developed multi-media learning modules for NNPs. The internet-based, non-linear, asynchronous curriculum has at its core a 3D virtual ‘living text book’ for didactic instruction and a "living world" NICU for "deliberate practice." The NICU features interactive virtual infant patients. Our “Virtual NICU” assists students transitioning from the classroom, to the simulation lab, and ultimately to the clinical area. Students enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and/or Stony Brook University are participating.

Results: Assessment/evaluation is "built into" the virtual NICU and the simulation lab experiences. Data is being collected throughout student experiences. Preliminary data suggest computer-based learning, gaming technology, and virtual patients can enhance knowledge acquisition and knowledge application.

Implications for Practice: Evidence suggests that the clinical reasoning of experts emphasizes pattern recognition or ‘deliberate practice' over logic. Our research with high-fidelity simulation has found that students who experience opportunities to apply knowledge transition to practice quicker. Therefore, increasing virtual simulated clinical opportunities may decrease the time to transition from novice to expert.