NU-AGE-SIM
NUrses Advancing Geriatric Excellence through SIMulation
The NUrses Advancing Geriatric Excellence through SIMulation (NU-AGE-SIM) Project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #48HP52020‐01‐00. It is an innovative educational bundle to help learners care for older adults with cognitive decline.
The purpose NU-AGE-SIM is to enhance nurse education and strengthen the nursing workforce by increasing training opportunities for nursing students in care of medically underserved older adults facing behavioral/mental health challenges using innovative simulation-based technology.
NU-AGE-SIM addresses affective, psychomotor, and cognitive domains of competency in care of older adults with behavioral and mental health disorders to increase nursing students’ readiness to practice upon graduation, consistent with the Age Friendly Health Systems framework or the 4Ms: Mentation, Mobility, Medications and What Matters.
What Is The NU-AGE-SIM Scholarship?
This project will enhance academic preparation for graduates of both the School of Nursing Accelerated Bachelor of Science (ABSN) and Masters of Science Nursing (MSN) primary care adult-gerontology nurse practitioner (NP) programs by cross-training students in geriatrics and behavioral/mental health, and by providing trainees with immersive simulation-based experiences serving vulnerable populations.
This state-of-the-art approach to nursing education provides real-life training prior to going out into a clinical setting. Following training on the Hologram machine and virtual reality machines, students will partner with a preceptor in a PACE-funded clinical placement. NU-AGE-SIM aims to enhance nurse education and strengthen the nursing workforce by increasing training opportunities for nursing students in the care of medically underserved older adults facing behavioral and mental health challenges.
By utilizing simulation-based technologies, the CND and the School of Nursing are able to address the unique health challenges faced by older adults while increasing nursing students’ readiness to practice upon graduation.
Two courses are incorporated in the NU-AGE-SIM Scholars program:
- Master’s level, Advanced Practice Nursing in Primary Adolescents, Adults, and Older Adult Patients II: Clinical course
- Bachelor’s level, Gerontological Nursing: Caring for Older Adults and their Families course.
Both courses are currently offered in the Summer and Fall semesters at the School of Nursing, and all students will have the chance to experience virtual reality and Hologram simulations in preparation for their full day of clinical at PACE Senior Community Center in Durham NC. All scholars will also receive scholarships to help cover their tuition.
Applications open in January for the Summer Semester and May Fall Semester each year.
Contact Dana Convoy, NU-AGE-SIM Program Manager, for more information:
NU-AGE-SIM Core Team:
Nicole (Nikki) Petsas Blodgett, PhD, RN, CHSE
Barbara S. Turner, PhD, RN, FAAN
Eleanor S. McConnell, PhD, MSN, RN, BC
Valerie K. Sabol, PhD, MBA, ACNP, GNP, CHSE, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN
Gillian Jackson, DNP, RN, A-GNP, CCRN
Jacquelyn M McMillian-Bohler, PhD, CNM, CNE
Dana Convoy, MSN, RN, CEN, CHSE
Raymond Brisson III, BA, CHSOS
NCCU Partners:
Tina Scott
DNP, PMC-NE, CHSE, RN
Sujayalakshmi Devarayamudram
PhD, M. Phil, MSN, RN
Methods
NU-AGE-SIM Traineeship Includes
Our didactic teaching approach involves student instruction through planned lessons and lectures. You can expect:
- Structured lesson plans
- Specific learning objectives
- Periodic performance evaluations
- Lectures from the teacher to the student
- Group discussions
- Consistent learning schedules
Trainees embody an older adult with cognitive decline (Alzheimer's) and experience common issues that older adults experience (ex. hearing loss, vision changes, social isolation).
The hologram scenarios were co-designed with our clinical partner and recorded with standardized patient actors. The trainees developed competency as they worked with holograms of older adults with cognitive decline.
Scenarios integrated International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning's Healthcare Simulation Standard of Best Practices.
Our Clinical Partner is Senior CommUnity Care: Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
PACE Participants: >55, nursing home eligible, desire to stay in their own home, dual eligible
All trainees (8 RN/2 NP students) attend a clinical experience at PACE working directly with community dwelling older adults.
Y1: n=10, completed over the Summer 2024 Semester
Y2: n=20, Fall 2024/Summer 2025
Y3: n=30, Fall 2025/Spring 2026
Age Friendly Health Systems 4Ms
Evidence-based elements of high-quality care from the Institute for Health Care Improvement, 2024.
Age-Friendly Health Systems - Learn More
The educational goals focus of the scenarios is the Four M’s:
Mentation
Medication
Mobility
What Matters.
Students interacting with a patient in the hologram portal can ask questions of the patient while also observing the full person, considering signs like a patient’s body language, stance, and more. The student may ask questions regarding the patient’s mobility while also observing that the patient has shaky hands or seems to be favoring one leg over the other.
Partnerships:
The CND team worked with Senior Community Care of North Carolina, a Medicare and Medicaid funded PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) provider, to design scenarios that capture common types of patients and healthcare visits. They then teamed up with Durham-based educational consultants Theater Delta to cast actors and act out the scenarios.
HRSA Funding Statement For NU-AGE-SIM
The NU-AGE-SIM Scholarship: NUrses Advancing Geriatric Excellence with SIMulation (is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #48HP52020‐01‐00 Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Simulation Education Training Program. The information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.