24 September 2024

Nation-leading technology gives Riverina nursing students valuable real-life lesson

| Shri Gayathirie Rajen
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Amy Fraser and Monique Gapes with the HealthiERSim technology

Amy Fraser and Monique Gapes with the HealthiERSim technology in Wagga Wagga. Photo: Charles Sturt University.

The Riverina is leading the way in Australia with technology to give nursing students real-world experience through an electronic medical record simulation.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has developed HealthiERSim to simulate technology used in clinical wards to enhance regional student learning.

CSU said about 3000 students had experienced the technology across Charles Sturt’s main campuses. The technology allows students to develop skills in real-life clinical documentation processes from a classroom setting.

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Second-year Bachelor of Nursing Wagga student Amy Fraser said the technology provided another layer of realism to her practical simulation classes.

“It allows us to practise using electronic medical records and provides us with the option of writing our notes digitally, whereas, before HealthiERSim, everything was a hard copy and handwritten,” Amy said.

“The technology is also set up similarly to a hospital setting with the computers on wheels.

“It contains all of our patients’ details and charts, such as the medication chart, alongside existing templates where we can add vital signs and admission or progress notes for documentation.”

Amy said the cutting-edge simulation was easy to use and allowed students to practise before starting placements in health facilities.

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Associate Professor of Nursing and Simulation Lead in the CSU School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences Pauletta Irwin said the students would be equipped with crucial skills from the simulated digital workflows and realistic patient scenarios to navigate and apply the digital health technologies confidently beyond graduation.

“This technology prepares all our students for effective collaboration and patient-centred care in their future nursing roles,” Associate Professor Irwin said.

“HealthiERSim also offers rapid feedback, with built-in comprehensive assessment and feedback tools that provide students with detailed insights into individual and team performance, facilitate targeted guidance, and enhance students’ readiness for professional practice.

“The aim of this is to really prepare our students for the workforce by giving them exposure to scenarios they may, and likely will, encounter in their future nursing roles while developing critical-thinking and clinical reasoning skills.”

Simulation co-developer and CSU Faculty of Science and Health technical officer Amy Barnett said the design led Australia in the health space.

“Internationally, this technology is rapidly advancing, but we have what is considered best on the market in Australia, and competitors are nipping at our heels to catch up,” Ms Barnett said.

HealthiERSim is used at CSU’s Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga, Port Macquarie, Bathurst and Dubbo campuses.

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