Nurses with experience have a new way to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees: through American Sentinel’s RN to BSN program powered by SIMPath®. Through SIMPath®, students complete online competencies at their own pace rather than take online eight-week courses. This gives them the chance to demonstrate what they know already and learn at a pace that’s comfortable for them.

Nurse-Friendly Virtual Simulations

The most relevant areas of nursing today are embedded into the SIMPath® program through virtual simulations in which students can interact with one another as well as their professors. This means students can accelerate their learning and improve their clinical decision-making.

Healthcare Learning Innovations is the division of American Sentinel that creates these simulation products. While not every competency in the SIMPath® curriculum includes simulations, many do, inviting students to put their knowledge to use in as close to real-world settings as possible.

Embedded into SIMPath Competencies

Here’s a look at the simulations that are built into different SIMPath® competencies:

  • Sentinel City® teaches nursing students how to conduct windshield surveys and so much more. Sentinel City® includes 23+ assignments that cover everything from virtual urban community assessments to natural disasters and population-focused interventions. It is part of SIM432 (Population Health), which provides an overview of concepts and theories related to community health nursing and SIM440 (Collaboration for Improving Outcomes), which covers current topics and trends in nursing case management, focusing on the nurse’s role in a collaborative team approach utilizing both acute and community settings.
  • Sentinel Town® creates a rural community scenario in which SIMPath® students can complete their community health and leadership practice experiences. This simulated experience is also part of SIM432 (Population Health).
  • Patient Management and Delegation® simulation features 56 patients and five levels of progressively more complex acuity, delegation and caseloads and puts students into the role of charge nurse. They must plan, coordinate and evaluate nursing resources. This simulated experience is part of SIM415 (Management and Leadership), a competency that introduces concepts of organization and management theory as they relate to key issues in nursing management.
  • Prioritization of Care® nursing scenarios help students build decision-making confidence by working through progressively more difficult patient assessment and prioritization of care assignments. Students determine if a patient should go to an emergency room, urgent care, inpatient or outpatient mental health treatment or pediatric specialty care. This simulation is part of SIM 436 (Interprofessional Communication), which introduces a structured critical thinking approach to achieving the Institute of Medicine competencies, which guide students in critiquing nursing assessment, interdisciplinary planning, and setting goals for patient health outcomes.

Additional simulations are integrated throughout the entire SIMPath® program. For specifics, contact American Sentinel’s admissions team.

An Immersive Educational Experience

SIMPath® is a flexible and fast way for students to earn their BSN, but earning competencies shouldn’t mean that students miss out on essential applied learning. Simulations offer students that experience to supplement what they have learned throughout their careers. They can virtually make patient care decisions in a high-stakes situation without risk of failure or harming patients’ health. They are able to learn from their mistakes and correct them, giving them the confidence to move forward in their educational and career journey.

American Sentinel University’s simulations are both interactive and realistic. Learn more about the RN to BSN program powered by SIMPath® and how it might fit your situation.