Innovative Approach to Procedure Skills: A Nurse Practitioner Educator's Response to COVID-19

Background: The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program at The Ohio State University transitioned from a traditional face-to-face program to a distance-enhanced hybrid model providing course content online with campus visits for procedural skills and simulation in 2017. Although the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic necessitated cancellation of all in-person events across the university, the neonatal nurse practitioner students' learning needs remained the same. Method: The onsite experience was redesigned for virtual delivery. Procedural content was accomplished through student-led small-group collaborative critical thinking activities surrounding procedural complications, and other faculty-led scenario discussions. Results: Students collaborated for a Complications Rounds activity (1-day) that promoted learning about procedural skills from a global perspective including safe techniques, monitoring, risks, and troubleshooting complications. Conclusion: Procedural content can be achieved when in-person learning is not possible. The Complications Rounds approach can mitigate delays or gaps in practical experiences. Examining complications in-depth increases preparedness, promoting greater awareness of harm prevention when these present in future practice.