CONNECTS: Making the Connection

Retention of nursing students is an issue for many nursing programs. The most common cause of attrition is poor academic performance. Nursing continues to increase in complexity, leaving students to struggle within content- and concept-laden courses. As a practice discipline, nursing has a rich source of clinical experiences to enhance learning ensuring connections between content and practice. However, frequently students fail to understand the linkages between content and their clinical experiences. The CONNECT program links content, clinical skills and clinical reasoning in an interactive manner. It uses simulations and classroom technologies to plan, deliver, and evaluate student learning. The program was created to expand the use of the simulation center. However in the planning for this expansion, we realized we had the opportunity to connect classroom and simulation in a more fluid manner than had been previously implemented. We actively share content and concepts being taught in the classroom with students completing simulation experiences. Additionally, simulations completed are shared with students in the classroom. Classroom technologies available enhance the ability to link content, clinical skills, clinical reasoning and student learning evaluation. This presentation addresses these linkages.