Fifty different video games are available to aid nursing students on all the various aspects of the nursing. The video games are both educational and entertaining. They help nursing students to develop and sharpen concentration skills, acquire practical experience, and develop problem solving and troubleshooting skills.They provide knowledge-based content in an interactive format. The games range from the simple to the complex. The content covers everything from microbiology, physiology and anatomy to health assessment and decision-making. Some of the games are geared for fun and relaxation. Information about the video games is available at Onlinenursingdegreeguide.org (See Resources).
Electronics such as iPods and MP3 players are beginning to be valuable tools for nursing students. They provide nursing students with visual and auditory technology. Kenya Beard from Adelphi University School of Nursing experimented with recording her lectures and making them available on the Internet. Students downloaded the lectures onto their iPods. Beard encouraged her students to listen to the lectures prior to class and to use them as review tools prior to the exams. Various video clips of nurses performing duties and procedures such as administering injections, tracheotomy suctioning and changing sterile dressings allow students to learn proper technique. Information about Ipods and MP3 technology for nursing students is available at nursingszone.com (See Resources).
Nursing students also rely on more traditional educational means and methods in learning and digesting the knowledge needed in preparing for a nursing career. Taking notes of class lectures, making flashcards as study guides, outlining passages in textbooks, organizing study groups, and interacting with the professor and fellow students are all important tools for the nursing student.
Clinical experience and clinical evaluation are an integral part of the nursing student's education. One aspect of the clinical experience is observation. Nursing students observe but do not directly interact with the patient. The student may be permitted to write or ask verbal questions. Nursing students are also evaluated in terms of their clinical experiences and skills. The goal of the evaluation is to monitor the nursing student's progress and development in the clinical environment. The student is evaluated in terms of nursing procedures such as administering medication, evaluating patients, implementing and organizing systematic plans and procedures.