Training Nurses Using Physiological Simulation

William Malyk
Graduate Student, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
University of Waterloo
and
Jennifer Jewer
Graduate Student, Department of Management Sciences
University of Waterloo

June 14, 2006
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Davis Centre 1304, University of Waterloo

View Video of Presentation in HI Alive Archive: Research Seminars Archive 2005-2006

Abstract
A shortage of health care providers is on the horizon. As a result, nurses are taking an increasing role in the delivery of complex care. The rise in the number of advanced practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, speaks to this. Nurse practitioners are trained to perform tasks, such as prescribing drugs, that were previously the responsibly of physicians. Moreover, the role of all nurses is changing and growing in scope. These new responsibilities require new types of training; one such type is physiological simulation. A physiological simulation involves the use of life-like physical representations of humans, human organs or other entities, on which the trainee can learn to perform complex procedures in a risk free environment. This talk will provide a survey of what is currently being done with physiological simulation in the training of nursing personnel. It will provide some conclusions as to simulation’s effectiveness as a learning tool.

About the Speakers
William Malyk, graduate student in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, is a member of the Computer Systems Group and the founding leader of the WIHIR Student Group. His research focuses on workflow technology, health informatics and human-computer interaction.

Jennifer Jewer is a PhD student in the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Her research and consulting activities have centered on the management of information systems. She is investigating the socio-technical impacts of instituting governance mechanisms – rules, standards and accountability frameworks - in information systems.