Greensboro AHEC partnered with Elon Department of Nursing and the School of Health Science's Interprofessional Simulation Center to create experiential learning activities that were designed to increase knowledge and skills when caring for patients with cardiovascular conditions.
On Saturday, Oct. 29, registered nurses, student nurses and community members from surrounding counties participated in an active learning course entitled “Cardiac Assessment: It’s a Matter of the Heart.”
During this event, guest lecturers Marc Cook of North Carolina A&T University and Elon Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Education Monica Zimmerman presented current trends in cardiac physiology and demonstrated anatomical structures of the heart.
The four-hour course began with a didactic lecture followed by an anatomy observation of the heart. Participants also experienced cardiac case studies utilizing standardized patients and medical mannequins. The workshop concluded with the application of learned skills through virtual reality testing and clinical debriefing by Associate Professor Tiffany Morris, chair of the Department of Nursing.
Nita Skillman, director of the Interprofessional Simulation Center, described the event as “highly interactive and engaging.” She also noted that the highlight of the event included several modalities of simulation, which provided participants with a variety of learning strategies to meet course objectives. Supporting the technological learning activities was Simulation Coordinator Bethany Fearnow, who described the event as “the epitome of simulation pedagogy…. the textbook coming to life.”
A Greensboro Area Health Education Centers participant said, “I have been to a lot of continuing education classes/seminars during my 34-year nursing career. This was the best one I have ever attended. It was such an eye-opening experience and exceeded my expectations. Looking forward to the next one.”