Elective course in acute care using online learning and patient simulation.

OBJECTIVE: To enhance students' knowledge of and critical-thinking skills in the management of acutely ill patients using online independent learning partnered with high-fidelity patient simulation sessions.
DESIGN: Students enrolled in the Acute Care Simulation watched 10 weekly Web-based video presentations on various critical care and advanced cardiovascular pharmacotherapy topics. After completing each online module, all students participated in groups in patient-care simulation exercises in which they prepared a pharmacotherapeutic plan for the patient, recommended this plan to the patient's physician, and completed a debriefing session with the facilitator. ASSESSMENT: Students completed a pretest and posttest before and after each simulation exercise, as well as midterm and final evaluations and a satisfaction survey. Pharmacy students significantly improved their scores on 9 of the 10 tests (p ≤ 0.05). Students' performance on the final evaluation improved compared with performance on the midterm evaluation. Overall, students were satisfied with the unique dual approach to learning and enjoyed the realistic patient-care environment that the simulation laboratory provided.
CONCLUSION: Participation in an elective course that combined self-directed Web-based learning and hands-on patient simulation exercises increased pharmacy students' knowledge and critical-thinking skills in acute care.