DiversityNursing Blog

By Mable Smith, PhD, JD, MSN, BSN, RN

A diverse nursing student body builds the foundation for a diverse workforce that can become effective in the provision of culturally competent care to patients. Our student body at Roseman University of Health Sciences is reflective of the diversity seen in the population that consists of Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, to name a few.  This diversity is reflected in the health care system among workers and patients. Students bring a wealth of information that is shared with each other and with faculty.

For example, in a class discussion on nutrition, students from various cultures shared how and what types of foods are used to treat certain illnesses. There were discussions on how food should be presented, such as hot versus cold, raw versus cooked.  Some students shared the significance of family presence during meals even for hospitalized patients. These discussions quickly incorporated religious practices and certain etiquettes to promote “religious correctness” when interacting with various cultural and religious groups. Students also provided insight into generational differences and changes with emphasis on the fact that many in the younger generation have not adopted the strict traditions of their parents and grandparents.

Several students picked up on the stereotyping of religious and cultural classifications.  Two students of the same racial group, but from different parts of the U.S., highlighted the differences in their beliefs, values, health practices, diets and even religion. Both are African American students, with one raised Catholic and the other Baptist.

Students in the College of Nursing are assigned to groups and remain with their group through the program of study. They learn to work with a racially and culturally group of people, address issues, confront problems, and share in successes. They rely on each other during clinical rotations to address the diverse needs of patients. More importantly, this foundation in education provides the tools for them to effectively interact with members of the interprofessional health care team.

The diversity in the College is the strength of the program. Learning from each other promotes collaboration, encourages innovation, and leads to respect.

Nursing is both an art and a science. While the science is fairly uniform, the art is often learned from experiences and interacting with others. These students graduate with a strong knowledge base, but most importantly with a mutual respect and appreciation of individual differences.  Educational policies should promote, not hinder, diversity.

Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

by Stephanie Baum

Nurses have been taking on more responsibility in recent years — and a good thing too. If the shortage of primary care physicians continues coupled with millions of new patients expected to be added to healthcare systems when provisions of the Affordable Care Act are enacted, they will have to take on even more. At the same time, some nursing schools are struggling to employ enough professors. A health IT startup has developed a cloud-based patient simulator that is being designed to be progressively more challenging as nursing school students’ skills develop.

Gainesville, Florida-based Shadow Health’s education tool seeks to put nursing and medical school students at ease with the routine of seeing patients and boost their comfort levels so they know what to expect. It also is aimed at making future nurses and physicians become more self-aware and better communicators so they develop a stronger rapport with their patients.

Tina Jones, an animated and interactive patient, comes into an exam room after a fall. Users type questions to better assess her health and get a medical history to learn of any underlying conditions they need to be aware of to more effectively treat the patient. She gives oral and written responses. There are 1,500 possible responses to student questions that are matched up with a database of 20,000 questions. Users can view lab results, physical findings and the patient history. They can also submit findings for an instant evaluation and compare them with an expert.

David Massias, the CEO and co-founder of the company, told MedCity News in a phone interview that the virtual patient does not recognize medical jargon, although the software program does. Instead of tachycardia, for example, the user has to say rapid heartbeat or use words a non-healthcare professional would understand.

The company raised $1.2 million in its latest financing round partly to help develop its market penetration — it has a target of 20,000 to 30,000 users. “For the past 12 to 15 months, we have been in sprint mode,” Massias said. “We have expanded from half a dozen to two dozen nursing schools.”

Massias said the company wants to create much more intimacy between students and their digital patients so they are not just memorizing text books. “We want to entrench the [patient interaction] experience so much that it becomes second nature.”

There are an increasing number of patient simulators coming to the market both for healthcare professionals as well as nursing and medical school students in response to a shift in teaching approaches that has accompanied the growth in integrating digital tools. Massias distinguishes the company by taking a longitudinal approach. Shadow Health sees the future of healthcare education as a coaching and tutor model where students use simulators to improve their critical thinking and address areas where they have the greatest need for remediation. Although it currently follows students through a semester of school, the company is expanding the software to accommodate a two-year nursing school or four-year medical school program by getting input from educators.

In addition to medical school and nursing school students, Massias said the company has mapped a course that will include training for physical therapists and pharmacists.

“The market today goes 10-miles wide and 1-inch deep. We want to go 10-miles deep and 1-mile wide.”

See the video here.