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Nurse training: students continue learning with ‘patients’ on virtual street

Virtual community helps students stay on course with practical learning despite lockdown

University of West London’s virtual community helps students stay on course with practical learning despite lockdown

A still from The Street where an actor plays an older woman sitting in her living room drinking tea
Actors on The Street bring case studies to life

Nursing students are continuing vital training through lockdown by following the lives and changing health conditions of the residents of a virtual street.

Simulation programme provides practice-based learning during lockdown

The University of West London has overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by launching The Street, a simulation programme for students in all year groups that allows them to continue practice-based learning.

In the film, students are introduced to actors of all ages playing residents who present with physical health conditions, including respiratory disease, cardiac problems and gout.

Others display signs of mental health conditions, including stress, post-natal depression and early-onset dementia.

These conditions will change and deteriorate over a period of three years in the simulation.

It is hoped the street will prepare students for their future careers when they care for patients whose health declines over a number of years.

The Street allows students to consider socioeconomic factors alongside clinical need

Senior lecturer in health promotion, public health and primary care Aby Mitchell said: ‘With lockdown, we quickly moved to a virtual learning platform to replace practice hours with theory and create online skills to prepare students going into practice.

‘The Street offers students a chance to consider deterioration in health and socioeconomic factors alongside clinical need.’


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