Nursing education is effective to the extent that students are able to understand how things work in the practical world. Simulation is an effective strategy that educators use to help students translate theory into practice. It involves creating situations that resemble nursing practice as closely as possible. Instructors can use this method to teach theory, patient assessment, the use of technology, pharmacology and problem solving skills. The goal of simulation strategies is to integrate theoretical knowledge with critical thinking.
Grand rounds are an integral strategy in nursing education. Although grand rounds are carried out by nurses in real-life hospital settings, educators also can use this strategy with nursing students. During these formal meetings, nursing students discuss clinical cases. This method of education originated as part of residency training, where new information was taught and clinical reasoning skills were developed. In an interactive and scientific setting, nursing students present clinical problems in medicine by focusing on interesting cases. They examine a case study of a particular patient, considering specific patient care, reviewing the pathophysiology and evaluating the nursing care the patient would need.
Concept mapping is an active education strategy that helps prepare nursing graduates to think critically in a complex health care setting. It is a way for students to link bits of new information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. The method of concept mapping involves a pictorial presentation of key concepts that are unique to a specific subject. These key concepts are developed from assessment and clinical data collected by students through case studies or the various clinical assignments they have undertaken. Pictorial presentation has proved to be an effective method of enhancing memory.
Lecturing is a traditional concept that still has a significant role in nursing education. Nursing educators often use this strategy when they need to efficiently cover topics that have a lot of theoretical content. As a teaching method, lectures are effective to the extent that they actively involve the students in the learning process. Classroom settings for lectures could involve small group discussions and question-and-answer sessions, where students discuss medical concepts with the instructor's guidance.