Evaluation of Virtual Learning Clinical Option in a Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Abstract

With the advent of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, there is a growing need for more primary health care practitioners (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Nurse practitioners can fill the gap; however, qualified applicants have been turned away from nurse practitioner programs due to lack of seats (American Academy of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2015a). Many programs struggle to guarantee clinical placement for NP students (AACN, 2015b). In the face of a national shortage of preceptors, nursing programs must explore alternate methods of concept delivery and the development of clinical judgment. Simulation is a potential solution, as clinical competence between students who participate in simulation compared with peers who do not is similar (Hayden, Smiley, Alexander, Kardong-Edgren, & Jeffries, 2014). The purpose of the project was to determine if a virtual simulation through Shadow Health offered similar results in clinical judgment as one-on-one preceptorships. Scores on the Advanced Practice Education Associates (APEA) national certification predictor exam were compared for two groups: an experimental group (n = 102) who completed 125 a virtual learning experience (VLE), and a control group (n = 102) who completed 125 hours of clinical one-on-one with a preceptor. A Mann-Whitney U Test revealed no significant difference in the APEA scores of traditional precepted students (Md = 72, n = 102) and virtual clinical students (Md = 73, n = 102), U = 5413, z = .501, p = .616. The effect size (r = .04) indicated that clinical placement had a very small effect on test performance (Pallant, 2016). Recommendations for future research and implications for nursing education are discussed.