Engaging and innovative teaching strategies while maintaining a class community to facilitate the professional education and discussion while integrating genomics into pre-licensure through advanced degree students is a necessity in today’s educational realm. Organizing online assignments and group discussions to enhance learner outcomes to increase knowledge base and comfort level is the nurse educators’ primary expectation. Lack of knowledge of genomics and a lack of confidence in facilitating this complex content are significant obstacles to integrating this specialty into education. Inclusions of Mashup webpages [web applications], hyperlinks and YouTube videos can further advance students’ pro-active learning.
Another innovative strategy is integrating a genetic patient scenario into a simulation. Augmenting required content into constrained nursing curricula is a challenge. Simulation prepares students for real-world experiences and simulation has an obvious role in expanding and developing genomic competencies (Weatherspoon, Phillips, Wyatt, 2015). Integrating a genetic component into simulation is an effective educational format to further enhance genomic knowledge of both students and facilitators. Pre-licensure students can be exposed to genomic content through simulations on newborn testing for PKU (phenylketonuria); sickle cell anemia, familial hypercholesterolemia, Marfan Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as integrating concepts of patient education. Advanced degree students’ simulation scenarios can provide an opportunity for students’ to discuss complex multifactorial polygenetic conditions and the implications of pharmacogenomics, epigenetics and ecogenetics into clinical practice (Cheek, Bashore & Brazeau, 2015). Research has already proven that simulation is an effective and efficient teaching tool and the inclusion of genetic conditions is the next logical advancement (Howard, Englert, Kameg & Perozzi, 2011; Holt, Tofil, Hurst, et al., 2013).
The clinical relevance of promoting the transformation of genomic knowledge and practice to advance global health practices and nursing competency is an ever-evolving process that begins with the realization that all educational levels must be involved and informed to integrate this knowledge and confidence into practice to improve patient health outcomes. Despite the growing use of genomic applications in clinical practice, health professional knowledge about genomic information and confidence in using it have not kept pace, as many nurses do not have the knowledge or the tools they need in order to apply genomic information in their professional practices (Munroe& Loerzel, 2016; Ward, Purath & Barbosa-Leiker, 2017).
This presentation will discuss the core competencies for all nurses, from pre-licensure baccalaureate to graduate degree practitioners. In addition, strategies to integrate these core competences, either in a stand-alone course or threading through the curriculum, will be explored. With nursing students of all educational levels, is it necessary for nurse educators to provide a variety of learning strategies, to stimulate self-directed and collaborative learning. Finally, self-directed learning strategies will be explored to enhance the nurse educators’ own genetic/genomic knowledge. Promoting the transformation of knowledge and practice to advance global health practices and nursing competency is an ever-evolving process that begins with understanding the educational level of all involved.