Responding to a nursing mandate in long‐term care: A multi‐modal pilot curriculum for bachelor of science in nursing students

We developed a new geriatrics curriculum for Bachelor of Nursing Students (BSN) that included content as the 4Ms of Age Friendly Care coupled with LTC content.3 Learners completed the multi-modal curriculum, which included an online component, at their own pace. In the absence of real patients through clinical placements, interacting with standardized patients (SPs) is another actionable teaching model. Research by the National Council for the State Boards of Nursing found that replacing traditional clinical hours with high-fidelity simulated experiences are effective in nursing curriculum.4 After completing our multi-modal curriculum, learners applied the content using virtual SPs. Our program is the first of its kind where use of “virtual SPs” means the SPs were live, but students were interacting with them through a virtual platform. After the interaction students received feedback from the SP and a faculty member who was also observing the interaction through Zoom.