Nurses occupy vital roles in our healthcare system, and it is our job to ensure we ensure we train future nurses who are well-qualified to care for patients. Our nursing schools have a reputation for providing some of the best nursing education in the nation, and this is because we continue to innovate and pivot our curriculum to meet the needs of our current environment.
This has never been truer. Delivering a quality and rigorous nursing education is our highest priority, especially in the face of COVID-19.
What does this mean for Fortis nursing students?
COVID-19 and Nursing
The pandemic has had a tremendous influence on the nursing profession. As a result, we have modified our coursework so our graduates can enter the workforce ready to meet the challenges of caring for patients during COVID.
Nurses on the frontlines must constantly use their critical thinking skills to make split-second decisions. Because of this shift in responsibilities, much of our coursework now includes a strong focus on critical thinking and complex, essential decision-making skills. But this high intensity work environment can take a toll on nurses, so we now include curriculum that addresses burnout, stress management and crisis management. We also place an emphasis on health protocols, proper mask wearing, and the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Our programs, known for their flexibility, have become even more accommodating amid quarantine measures. Many of our students must balance work and family responsibilities while attending their nursing courses, all while managing new COVID-19 protocols. Our dedicated faculty work with each student to ensure their success and often host late-night study sessions or offer support in between work shifts.
Even after we emerge from this pandemic, its influence will be felt for years to come. The role nurses played in the war against the virus will be taught in classes and used as a shining example of the vital role nurses play in our healthcare system.
New Ways to Teach
For nursing educators, the pandemic also created changes in the structure, delivery and management of nursing education programs almost overnight. Like many schools, we faced the challenges of continuing our programs digitally and in a socially distant fashion. Fortis’s nursing program moved online almost overnight and adjusted its systems for a population of students (and faculty) who were no longer able to access the campus or clinical sites. We surveyed students to determine the types of technology that they had available and we used this information to guide how we transitioned our learning activities to a virtual world. Our team of nursing directors and faculty deserve kudos for the ingenuity and creativity they displayed for making this a reality.
The changes we implemented went far beyond the use of conferencing technology. In an effort to provide students with “real world” learning environments, Fortis acquired sophisticated learning resources that provide virtual simulation experiences that provide students with “real-life” situations. These new tools use video, simulation resources and life-like patient mannequins to introduce and build students’ learning on key concepts of patient care.
When our students were able to come to campus, our programs adapted to CDC guidelines for the reduced capacity, social distancing, masking and cleaning protocols.
NCLEX Licensure
Even the licensure exam has been impacted by COVID.
To obtain licensure, nursing candidates must demonstrate knowledge and clinical skills as well as successfully pass the national nursing exam, known as the NCLEX. Some states also have additional requirements including demonstrated health and mental well-being, competency in English and no felony convictions.
Due to the tremendous advances in healthcare knowledge and recent events caused by the pandemic, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is pursuing a redesign of the NCLEX examinations (both versions). These changes focus on evaluating the candidate’s level of critical thinking and their readiness to manage the complex and high-risk types of decisions faced in providing nursing care in today’s rapidly changing environment.
To accommodate social distancing and a reduced number of students sitting for the test at a time, the length of the exam and the number of questions asked has been decreased. This will allow more students to sit the exam in a day. However, the level of difficulty and passing standard for the exam has not changed. All these changes are noted on the NCSBN website.
To date, the four Florida Fortis Nursing Education programs (Fortis Colleges in Cutler Bay and Orange Park and Fortis Institutes in Pensacola and Port St. Lucie) have prepared hundreds of nursing candidates to sit for the NCLEX exam and their pass rates continue to among the highest in the state. Fortis Nursing Education also has programs in 6 other states, serving more than 1,000 students.
Undoubtedly, this has been a tremendously challenging time to provide nursing education, but it has also been extremely rewarding. The Fortis program is proud of its student-centric model of education and is focused on tailoring each program to deliver the required nursing education in the most effective manner possible.
