Otterbein Nursing synchronous virtual "Active Learning" OB/Maternity exercise

 

Organization: Otterbein University Nursing Department
HESS Components Used: Fetal Monitor
Other Platforms Utilized: Blackboard Collaborate, Zoom

The Story:

 

As academic semesters continued in a hybrid/blended fashion amidst COVID-19 social distancing precautions, this challenge involved how to provide nursing students with a "synchronous" interactive OB/Maternity oriented exercise that matched the normal course curriculum - but in a virtual/online environment.

Instructor Chris Zamaripa, MSN, RN combined the HESS Fetal Monitor Simulator with standard Blackboard Collaborate and Zoom to run an engaging interactive exercise - that normally would have been run "in-person" in class - but could be effectively conducted online too - with a little help from the HESS.

The students interactively followed through the progression of labor - at each stage assessing the patient situation and visually monitoring the progress live on the running HESS Fetal Monitor. Chris used Blackboard Collaborate's white board feature to have the students provide the courses of action they felt were appropriate along the way. Chris could alter the progression of labor on the HESS Fetal Monitor in real time based on which actions the students chose to take (either good or bad.....). Of course, a healthy live debrief and discussion with the students then followed the exercise.

Here is a short video link of part of this Virtual "Active Learning" OB/Maternity Exercise:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn1cylrUa5I

In future exercises Chris plans to add a Standardized Patient to the Zoom meeting - a person live on camera to play the "mom" that the students can talk to - for example to ask assessment questions or to explain the progress of her labor.

And.... this type of exercise would not be limited to just OB/Maternity topics.... any of the more than one dozen HESS equipment simulator apps could have been utilized in the same way.

Chris ran the whole interactive session from home - and did not need any specialized equipment or setup - just her laptop, the HESS Android tablet and the Internet.