Speakers

Assoc. Prof. Urai Jaraeprapal, RN, Ph.D.

Dean of Nursing School, Walailak University Thailand

Speaker's Biography

Dr. Urai Jaraeprapal is currently the Dean of Faculty of Nursing at Walailak University, Thailand, and received her Ph.D. degree in 2016 in Nursing Science at Khon-Kaen University. She obtained her nurse-midwife certification in 1988 and was licensed as a nurse practitioner in 2004. Dr. Urai has extensive experience in Leadership and Nursing Management, Health Promotion, Public Health System and Epidemiology, Research and Evidence Base in Nursing, Qualitative Research/ Qualitative Data Analysis, etc. As a nurse professor and community nurse specialist responsible for public health in the area, Dr. Urai is committed to promoting cooperation between the citizens and the public/private sectors based on empirical data to enhance community-based health promotion. The FAP Model, known as Family Commission and Community Assessment Process Model, was developed by the research team of the Nursing Faculty, Walailak University. This participatory action research can be used as a tool and process to enable self-management in community health. She received Public Service Recognition Award from The Office of the Public Sector Development Commission for research and development of "FAP Model" in 2010 and the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Faculty of Nursing, Prince Songkla University, in 2015.

Topic

Nursing Education in the Post-pandemic Era

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the lifestyle of most people, including nursing education. Nursing schools all over the world responded to the pandemic following the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Face-to-face teaching and learning were converted to virtual remote knowledge and clinical experiences suspended to protect the students from the pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 on nursing education is if adequate measures are put in place through disaster preparedness and preplanned mitigation strategies. Future crises like COVID-19 will have a more negligible effect on nursing education. Therefore, health policymakers and nursing regulatory bodies should put policies that will help respond, cope, and recover quickly from future occurrences.

The epidemic has created a new normal of life born of distancing behavior reduce direct nursing care. Develop noncontact modules for education and practice using technologies. Nurses need to possess digital literacy, advanced nursing technologies. However, the clinical practicum aspect of the learning experience is essential, the preparation of necessary resources and infrastructure for online simulation of the clinical in place. Therefore, it is crucial to have a complete immersion of simulation into the nursing program to mitigate the effect of similar future occurrences in the clinical practicum aspect of the curriculum. It is therefore not an easy solution to compensate for the current deficit in clinical practicum experiences.

Virtual simulations, on the other hand, are Web-based products and relatively easy to implement. A modernization of the programs to include more online and virtual options could help smooth transition if the needs arise again. Nurses need to possess various abilities, such as the digital literacy required by the noncontact era after COVID-19, and to expand the boundaries of the nursing profession in the convergence of health services with technology. Revision of nursing curricula by the various nursing governing bodies is necessary to accommodate and facilitate credible alternative teaching and learning options.

Coping during and after the crisis should not only be limited to the process of teaching and learning, the student's and teachers' emotional well-being should be considered as this may affect the process and outcome of teaching and learning. Therefore, measures such as counseling and mental health sessions should be developed for both staff and students, which will help to minimize and decrease their anxiety and fear.

Situation analysis Formulate participatory policies from stakeholders. Flexible plans are therefore essential for future teaching and learning management.