Authors

  1. Horan, Kathleen M. PhD, APRN, CNE
  2. Foley, Sandra L. DNP, RN

Article Content

Nurse educators were called to innovate during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were restrictions on clinical group size and ongoing student absences due to exposures and infections. Providing relevant clinical makeup activities remains a continual challenge. An innovative model was created and used with nursing students who were well enough to engage in the clinical day but could not be on-site. The students at home were paired with a student at the clinical site. One on-site student was designated as a team leader, responsible for facilitating communication and collaboration between the students. They all attended virtual clinical conferences in which they shared an initial report and subsequent updates on assigned patients. They also posted updates and information in a live shared document. No identifying information was shared, ensuring patient confidentiality. The on-site student performed nursing care with their instructor, including assessment, medication administration, procedures, and evaluation of the plan of care. The at-home student provided the theory behind the practice, by researching the diagnoses and the medications. They identified priorities, predicted potential complications, suggested interprofessional collaboration, created teaching plans, and ultimately provided a handoff report. Student feedback and evaluation of this pilot were assessed using a faculty-created survey as well as a student engagement scale. The feedback was positive and demonstrated student engagement in the activities. The students appreciated involvement in the care of actual patients as well as interaction with peers. This useful real-time model can continue to be utilized as an alternative to traditional clinical makeup assignments.