Simulating Virtual Standardized Patient Encounters During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Lessons Learned

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic initiated opportunities for graduate nursing programs to evaluate nurse practitioner (NP) students differently than ever before. These initiatives included innovative strategies for faculty to change evaluation styles for formative, midterm, and summative competencies. This article focuses on the transition from traditional on-ground, in-person–only evaluations to virtual standardized patient encounter online evaluations and the lessons learned from this transition. The virtual standardized patient encounters were created and implemented by the NP faculty and provided a simulated virtual learning environment conducive to NP communication and patient assessment skills in a clinical setting with consistent student success rates.