For more than 150 years, simulation education in nursing has provided a bridge from the acquisition of knowledge, to its implementation in practice. Every VUSN-educated nurse has benefited from having a safe environment to hone the skills necessary to provide the excellent standard of care associated with being a Vanderbilt Nurse.
As the profession evolved, simulation education has also evolved beyond low-fidelity manikins and practicing injections skills on oranges, to today’s world of standardized patients, virtual reality platforms, hologram and AI modeling, and high-fidelity manikins that can engage with students in real-world, dynamic healthcare scenarios.
For VUSN’s new Assistant Dean for Simulation and Experiential Learning, Ashley Franklin, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE-A, ANEF, her mission at VUSN is simple; to help to create a vision for the future of experiential learning, while helping to implement a comprehensive portfolio of educational tools. At the same time, she wants to ensure VUSN faculty, simulation staff, and students have the capacity, understanding, and environment to support complex learning.
“I am excited to come to VUSN to help further align our people and resources towards a vision for experiential learning that provides a safe space for our students to practice and thrive,” said Franklin. “Competency-based assessments are designed to support the curriculum, as well as meet the future demands our students will face after graduation.”
Franklin joins a VUSN Faculty who are steeped in simulation education. A former president of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), Franklin joins two other former presidents of the Association, Kristina Thomas Drifuerst, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, senior associate dean for academics, and Desiree A. Diaz, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, CHSE-A, ANEF, FSSH, FAAN, assistant dean, Master of Nursing Program. In addition, Dean Pamela Jeffries, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, is a former president of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy and a leading scholar in simulation education.
“Ashley’s appointment demonstrates a collaborative of simulation leadership unmatched by any nursing school in the world,” said Kristina Thomas Dreifuerst PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, senior associate dean, Academics and Professor. “It represents our significant investment in simulation excellence and innovation at Vanderbilt, and most importantly, in creating exceptional learning experiences that prepare our students for the future of nursing practice.”
The school’s reputation for simulation excellence is built on a solid foundation. “When I joined VUSN in 2018, there was an exceptional simulation team who were intentional about creating a space that encouraged innovation, collaboration, and new possibilities for experiential learning,” said JoEllen Holt, DNP, RN, CHSE, CSSBB, assistant professor and senior director of Simulation Innovation and Extended Reality. “Over the years, the program has grown through extraordinary partnerships and a shared commitment to creating safe, meaningful learning experiences where students can practice, take risks, build confidence, and develop their clinical judgment.”
Experiential learning prepares nursing students for the routine, as well as the unexpected. By having an environment where students are challenged with real-world situations they will face occasionally, builds confidence and helps ensure consistent patient care.
“We are able to incorporate HALO (High-Acuity, Low-Occurrence) events when developing simulation scenarios to apply the student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Franklin. “These events are critical, life-threatening situations that don’t happen every day, but when they do, the student must manage them effectively every time.”
Whether it’s a routine clinical task, or a complex emergency that has little margin for error, an integrated nursing simulation curriculum provides VUSN students with the skills and the knowledge necessary to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare future.