Saturday, 16 November 2013
L. M. Hernandez, MSN, ARNP, FNP-C, CPN
Nursing Research, Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify VACC camp as a non acute non traditional setting used to enhance nursing education.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discuss this interprofessional blended teaching and learning strategy of using VACC camp as a teaching strategy in nursing education.
Purpose: to expose undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students to a creative clinical learning experience involving them in the patient and family activities at Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) Ventilator Assisted Children’s Center (VACC) camp. It is important students are able to synthesize and conceptualize modern day care in the most simplest and natural of settings like VACC camp. VACC camp is a week long camp hosted by MCH providing activities for families and children with lung associated medical complexities. In order to run a safe camp, this opportunity provides camp staff and participants the added medical knowledge, assistance, and reliability senior nursing students bring forth. Participants require ventilator and airway management many times requiring oxygen and all the medical supplies that children and family with medical complexity requires. This experience provides learning by driving clinical growth and expertise from a vast array of opportunities that otherwise would not be obtained in a hospital setting. Participation sharpens nursing skills amongst the most technologically-involved patients within the most simplest of settings.
Methods: A joint clinical appointed faculty educator serving as a child health care instructor and camp nurse coordinates a group of 40-50 senior semester undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. They are signed up to attend VACC camp for a clinical rotation of at least one clinical 8 hour day and volunteer as needed thereafter. Students may choose to participate in 60 clinical hours as part of their practicum preceptorship experience.
Results: This collaboration provides a unique and diverse teaching and learning experience no other local nursing program and pediatric medical institution provides.
Conclusion: Given the climate of our present day health care demands, hospital length of stays shorten and home health care delivery becomes medically complex. As this complexity grows, so does the need for students to be prepared to serve this population.
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