NURS FPX 6112 Assessment 2

NURS FPX 6112 Assessment 2 Evaluation of a Virtual Simulation Scenario Student Name Capella University NURS-FPX6112 Technology Integration for Nursing Education Professor Name Submission Date   Evaluation of a Virtual Simulation Scenario Virtual simulation technology has revolutionized how students are educated in nursing as it provides students with realistic experiences in a risk-free environment. Sentinel U has created an evidence-based online simulation platform that is specifically designed for pre-licensure nursing students to help them learn how to develop their clinical reasoning and decision-making skills in a realistic simulation. This may involve the Liza Herzog scenario, for example, which involves a 27 wk pregnant female with a known history of hypothyroidism and presents with fatigue, allowing students to practice skills from the physical assessment, pharmacology and pathophysiology areas and make decisions about their patient care. The studies demonstrate that simulated environments can enhance student outcomes by giving students an opportunity to apply their skills in an academic environment while also simulating situations in the real world (Damaševičius & Sidekerskienė, 2024). This report is to assess the effectiveness of the Liza Herzog simulation in developing critical thinking skills of students in the three learning areas of nursing competencies (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor). Scenario Context As simulation technologies continue to evolve, they have become an essential element in preparing nursing professionals around the world. As an illustration, Sentinel U is creating a clinical simulation platform to engage both nursing instructors and students in clinical simulations via the Internet as part of their nursing education. For this site, Liza Herzog, a 27 year old female, a virtual patient case has been developed, who has a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and is currently 27 weeks into her pregnancy. The clinical scenario is designed using real-life experiences of patients and the clinical guidelines (Duncan et al., 2026). This Liza Herzog simulation has been developed by an educational institution for pre-licensure undergraduate nursing students. The Liza Herzog Simulation is designed to provide a clinical learning opportunity for nursing students in a structured format prior to their professional practice. Simulation helps nursing students create and use clinical judgment skills in a safe, repeatable, standardized environment without the risk of an actual patient. It is a simulation using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, giving opportunities to students to actively experiment and reflective feedback about their experiences in a simulation that is as close to reality as possible, with real world interaction with patients. Physical Assessment One of the skills that should be taught is how to do a comprehensive physical assessment, which is part of the student’s preparation in nursing to be able to move into clinic. Beyond the data recorded initially in the Liza Herzog simulation framework, the Liza Herzog simulation takes a systematic approach to the assessments, starting with obtaining vital signs and collecting a health history. Additionally, the students will learn to assess tachycardia and pallor/light-headedness and will also examine the same as it applies to the state of pregnancy. A recent study indicated that using simulation-based training to perform physical assessments has positively impacted both accuracy and confidence levels in students’ abilities to perform physical assessments (Costa & Monger, 2024). The physical assessment component of the Course will give the students a firsthand exposure to clinical practice to enable them to attain a high level of knowledge of the subject matter and plenty of practical experience to become a highly competent clinician. Students can gain an understanding of systems and conduct a targeted evaluation of the symptoms of pregnancy through simulated experiences. For instance, students who studied Liza Herzog discovered minor details such as “pagophagia” and “tachycardia” and drew inferences between these findings and “iron deficiency anemia” and showed better prioritization of clinical assessment data. Students may relate their observations (increased breathlessness, fatigue, increased heart rate) to the pathological explanation. Developed by noted expert Dr. Carol Dash, Pagophagia (craving ice) is a subtle but very important clinical symptom of iron deficiency anemia that is included in the simulation. Pagophagia and other such characteristics will emphasize the diversity of patient presentations that can be seen in clinical practice (Duchac, 2025). All of these parts of the evaluation will help the student understand and prioritize clinical findings rapidly and accurately. Pharmacology In order to deliver safe and effective patient-centered nursing care, nurses must have a thorough understanding of pharmacology. The medication prescribed to Liza is a simulation of what could be prescribed once she receives further evidence-based results to support that Liza will benefit from receiving ferrous sulfate as treatment for her iron deficiency anemia. Considering Liza’s pregnancy status, nutritional deficiency, and documented low hemoglobin level, Ferrous sulfate is an appropriate medication to use in treating a pregnant woman with iron deficiency anemia. Oral iron supplementation is recommended as the first line of treatment in the management of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy (Auerbach, 2023). The pharmacological decision-making for Liza is clinically appropriate and matches well with the patient’s profile. In the simulation, docusate sodium has been added to treat any gastrointestinal issues the patient may be having due to oral iron intolerance. Learners must also consider intravenous iron infusion if oral therapy does not work, which enhances their clinical decision-making skills. Drug-drug interactions are demonstrated within the scenario as well; one example is the need to avoid using calcium products along with iron. Constructivist learning theory supports this approach, as students build pharmacological knowledge by actively engaging with realistic patient scenarios rather than passively receiving information (Khurshid et al., 2023). Pharmacotherapy simulations that provide for adverse effect management enhance the learner’s preparedness to interact with real patients (Phanudulkitti et al., 2023). All these components will enable learners to develop a thorough and applicable knowledge base about the use of iron therapy during pregnancy. Pathophysiology To deliver quality care and make effective clinical decisions, a solid understanding of disease processes is required. The simulation adequately reflects the pathophysiology of IDA during high-risk pregnancy. The mother has a past history (7 pregnancies), poor nutrition, and poor thyroid function, which