Nursing education - Ad midst of “COVID19”

We are in midst of a global pandemic “COVID 19” with entire countries shutting down. Nurses and health care workers are the frontline worrier of “COVID 19”, working tirelessly to care for everyone, even when their lives are at risk. We express our gratitude and appreciation for the health care workers around the globe by lighting lamp, clapping hands, showering flowers or doing Aarathi. But let us not lose sight to prepare more number of nurses as strong enough to deliver high quality and effective nursing care.
This year 2020 was designated as “The year of Nurse and Midwives” by World health Organization to mark the bicentenary birth year of the founder of modern nursing, Florence nightingale and to recognize the critical contributions the nurses make to global health and the risks associated with nursing shortages.  On world health day, April 07 2020, new report said “The world need 6 million more nurses to achieve global health targets” and WHO calls for investment in massive acceleration of nursing education.
Nursing educators entrusted with the responsibility to expand, enrich and make flexible mental constructs that students are learning. The process of learning, not the content learned, will prepare the student nurses to become lifelong learners.
Twenty first century students have grown up using information and communication technology (ICT) on daily basis. These students ICT skills open new paradigm in the pedagogical strategies such as virtual simulation.
We are able to provide ICT enabled education even at the ad midst of COVID 19 crisis using advanced technology while students are at home. Being a senior person in nursing field, I strongly believe in improving quality education through virtual simulation and model incorporating artificial intelligence. Clinical judgment and decision-making skills are practiced by the nursing students through online teaching using case scenarios, making care plans and case presentations etc..
 It is concluded that newer pedagogical strategies can be used to prepare more number of nurses using advanced technology to provide high quality effective nursing care.