News Archives: GPRC Instructor Presents at International Nursing Conference
Friday, May 18th, 2018
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GPRC Nursing instructors Bonnie Hessler and Louise Rawluk were honoured to have their presentation accepted at this year’s NETNEP conference in Banff.
NETNEP (Nursing Education Today – Nursing Education in Practice) is an international conference where nursing education professionals can engage in dialogue and share knowledge, research and ideas. Due to the high number of applicants, a slot as a NETNEP presenter is difficult to land.
Hessler and Rawluk’s presentation and poster focused on an innovative technology used by nursing faculty at GPRC: safeMedicate. The web-based educational program sees students progress through a series of interactive learning modules over the course of their program and complete a cumulative final exam.
safeMedicate was developed to help nurses reduce potentially dangerous errors in medication dosage calculations. The learning software improves students’ skills with dosage calculation using interactive features that more closely imitate a workplace setting than in a textbook. One of the strongest features of the program is its ability to provide instructors with detailed information about the students’ learning processes.
“When we taught from a textbook, we had no idea whether the students had done the work or what they were struggling with,” said Hessler. “When someone failed an exam, it was impossible to try and figure out what went wrong. With this program, we can actually look into their modules and see where they need extra help.”
GPRC nursing students using safeMedicate have experienced an incredible 100% pass rate.
“The faculty love it too,” she said. “The people at safeMedicate are very responsive to feedback and respond quickly when there are technical problems.”
GPRC is among the first institutions in Canada to take up the UK-based web program. “We’re always looking for better ways to teach our students,” said Hessler.
The aim of her presentation is to share with other nursing educators the value that this program has brought to our College. She says there are many institutions across Canada that are adopting the online program. In the meantime, Hessler and the rest of the GPRC Nursing department will continue to take the lead on incorporating innovative nursing education technology in the classroom.
Bonnie Hessler is the main administrator of the safeMedicate program at GPRC. Learn more about our leading nursing department: https://www.gprc.ab.ca/programs/ua-nursing.html
