Managing students' remote clinical learning: the experience of Bachelor of Nursing Science degree of Turin: Remote clinical learning

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has required to drammatically reorganize students’ education at all levels including the university level, with classroom education being replaced by distance learning. Bachelor of Nursing Science degrees had to restructure clinical learning experiences in addition to the theoretical education while guaranteeing educational objectives to be achieved.

Methods: This paper presents two experiences of the Bachelor of Nursing Science degree of Turin to manage remote clinical learning experiences due to students’ impossibility to attend safely hospital wards.

Results: Reported experiences show that remote clinical learning guarantees the development of decision making-related complex cognitive skills and the methodology of the ‘clinical case’ fits well e-learning education.

Discussion: In the future, a blend of in-person and remote clinical learning experience may be introduced. Complex decision-making skills can be stimulated and promoted even remotely, however, the clinical learning experience at the patient’s bedside needs to be preserved to promote professional growth and team-working skills.