Speakers

Asst. Prof. Nanthaphan Chinlumprasert, Ph.D.

Executive Board of The Nurses' Association of Thailand;

Advisor and Former Dean of Assumption University

Speaker's Biography

Dr. Nanthaphan Chinlumprasert is an Assistant Professor and the former Dean of the Faculty of Nursing Science at Assumption University. She served as an academic committee member in Sociology of the National Research Council of Thailand, the committee member of transformative education for healthcare professionals, and currently the Executive Board of the Nurses' Association of Thailand for international affairs and leadership initiatives. Her research area is in social empowerment for women experiencing sexual violence and health-related issues. She is dedicated to women's rights advocacy in the workplace and has pioneered research of date rape issues with Thai College students. Dr. Nanthaphan was awarded an international fellowship from the American Association of University Women to develop a violence prevention project. She explores the psychological and social consequences that impact the lives of survivors. She has more than 20 years of experience in curriculum development and educational management. Her leadership in nursing education includes establishing an international nursing program, transformative nursing education, the initiatives of a nursing simulation lab, and an international leadership program for nursing students. She has been involving in finding the strategies to resolve the challenges of learning outcomes from the restricted nursing practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topic

Reframing Nursing Education in the COVID-19 - New Normal: Thailand Experiences

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has affected every life facet, including working and learning. Nursing education is not immune to this change since Digital Technologies are the apparent challenge of the immediate transformations in Thai society, education, industrial, and healthcare systems. The learning space becomes intangible virtual, not actual in the school, transforming from face-to-face to virtual interaction both synchronous and asynchronous methods. It impacted nursing student learning and management that are no longer buildings but web-based services. The massive investment of virtual and digital technologies by the university or nursing institution is crucial. The adaptation to this new normal is to reframe nursing education especially professional and educational policies, curriculum design, teaching-learning methods, both theory and practicum. While learning outcomes cannot be compromised, virtual practice in the simulation lab and online/ long distant teachings still cannot totally replace all actual experiences through hands-on practice in clinical settings.

Sharing our experiences will educate the new generation of nurses to have the critical thinking, problem-solving caliber, ethically and skillfully in taking care of patients and being ready for the career world. Nurse educators must take the lead in this initiative, develop their digital technology skills, and shift their mindset to redesign teaching and learning activities to meet the optimal learning outcomes. A long-term plan must be done collaboratively with nursing services to set up an educational, enriching center to facilitate newly graduate nurses to refresh their knowledge, reskill and upskill to ensure that they can work well in the new normal health system.

During the current pandemic, the persistent nurse shortage had put tremendous pressure on nursing education to do whatever means to produce nurses in a timely fashion to supply the health service delivery with high social expectations. Working alone will only lead to the pitfall. Therefore, all the stakeholders of the entire societal system have to cooperate and collaborate in this movement, including government support in terms of nursing education investment and faculty members' development funds. During the transition to the inevitable new normal society, the aging workforce in service and education should be reconsidered. Public-private partnership and interprofessional education must be strengthened and rekindled.