In episode 24 鈥� the ninth episode of season two of the 激情快播 podcast, Knights Do That 鈥� we speak with Desiree Diaz, associate professor and undergraduate simulation coordinator in the 激情快播 College of Nursing and president-elect of International Nursing Association of Clinical and Simulation Learning (INACSL). She shares how 激情快播 is leading the charge in virtual reality education, how teaching students about cultural congruence can remove preconceived notions in patients and how simulation technology is paving the way for the future of nursing.
Transcript
Desiree Diaz: I feel that I have an obligation to my professional simulationist, our simulation scientists, to push that envelope, to push the line. What is OK, how can we make it better to take the risks, to think about research in a different light? So not just in simulation pedagogy and how we鈥檙e going to teach it but creating different ways of simulation. So exploring holograms, exploring VR, working with colleagues to expand the science.
Alex Cumming: We鈥檙e back with another episode of Knights Do That. The medical field is rapidly changing and educators like today鈥檚 guest, Desiree Diaz, work to keep students ahead of the curve. Desiree is a professor in 激情快播鈥檚 College of Nursing and incorporates simulation technology in her classroom to train nurses like never before. Desiree shares how 激情快播 is leading the charge in virtual reality education, how teaching students about cultural congruence can remove preconceived notions in patients and how simulation technology is paving the way for the future of nursing.
Terrific Desiree, I so appreciate you getting to join us and I appreciate your time here.
Desiree Diaz: Thank you for having me. It鈥檚 an honor to come in and chat with you today.
Alex Cumming: Of course. Thank you again. So I want to talk to you about your work in the nursing education here at 激情快播. What drew you to nursing education and what keeps you inspired to teach?
Desiree Diaz: I鈥檓 an associate professor so I teach on all levels. So from Ph.D. DNP down to RN, to BSN, every program level that we have. And I really enjoy seeing the students on every level because each student has a different type of identity within that program, so I really enjoy that. And why do I enjoy teaching nursing? I think it鈥檚 such a blend of the art and science together that I really want to make sure our students get that. It鈥檚 not just about what somebody has, but it鈥檚 the art of caring, the art of empathy, the art of communication, and really understanding where somebody is at. So I want to be able to instill that in all of our students.
Alex Cumming: Is there a way that you teach communication to your students who might come in with hesitations about being confrontational in medical situation? Confrontational might be the wrong word for it, students who might be wary of walking into a room and sitting down with somebody and saying, 鈥淐an you tell me what you鈥檙e feeling,鈥� or 鈥淲hat you鈥檙e going through right now?鈥� Or 鈥淗ow can I help you?鈥�
Desiree Diaz: So all of our courses are pretty much built upon each other are scaffolded. So we start off with a little bit and increase that as we go. So we provide them opportunities in simulation and class role plays and things like that, where they can really tune in on how they communicate, especially this day and time with everything鈥檚 either Zoom, iPad, or the telephone even, text message. The art of communication is something that you have to practice. People often call it a soft skill and I chuckle, and I say that is one of the hardest skills because if someone says something, maybe that鈥檚 a little off to you, it鈥檚 thinking that you need to ask them again. What did they mean? Clarifying sentences and thoughts, rather, just jumping to that assumption. My mom always said you have two ears and one mouth. So listen twice as hard.
Alex Cumming: We had on a recent episode, another individual who was going through the medicine program. And he was speaking about the importance of listening and understanding and communicating and getting on the same level with the person that you鈥檙e working with. Because the slightest miscommunication, I imagine, can have drastic consequences if it鈥檚 not ironed out before it gets taken too far.
Desiree Diaz: Absolutely. And there鈥檚 so many things that I think about in nursing or the health science professions. We are seeing people at their worst expecting them to behave at their best. When it鈥檚 the provider, whether you鈥檙e at the bedside nurse, bedside OT, PT, whatever we should be at our best, because we should leave our personal issues at the door and come in to work as a professional understanding that someone might not be communicating not get their best filter on to deliver information to you. But it is hard to do that all the time, it does get taxing. There are people with a lot of problems out there and can be very demanding and demeaning in care. So it鈥檚 really practicing, knowing self and discovery of self first. When do I need to take a step away so that I can continually be the best in providing care for that patient and communicating with that patient. And sometimes you do need to, you know, I鈥檒l be right back. Leave regroup. And then reenter.
Alex Cumming: I imagine it鈥檚 tough constantly having to have this objective lens in the medical world with patients. Where the patients are coming, more often than not, I鈥檇 imagine, entirely subjectively from what鈥檚 happened to them. Then you have to play off of that.
Desiree Diaz: Yeah, especially with media and what is out there today. You know, are you providing safe care? Someone constantly questioning everything you do. And we have two choices, we could take it as a negative or take it as a double-check. 鈥淪ure, would you like to see? This is what it says.鈥� And it鈥檚 all on how you approach it.
Alex Cumming: So you been working at 激情快播 since 2015. In that time that you鈥檝e been here. How have you seen 激情快播 serve as this hub for medical progress?
Desiree Diaz: I think it鈥檚 grown exponentially. The need is there, one. So that obviously helps it. And then you鈥檝e really seen this push in nursing medicine, all of the Academic Health Science Center disciplines really. Because there鈥檚 such a shortage of people in the field or new people that are in the field that are leaving because it鈥檚 not exactly what they thought it would be. So I see it on that level. I also see it on the level of research. Our research here at 激情快播 has really magnified the science of nursing in particular. That I鈥檒l speak about, it鈥檚 not just bench science, what鈥檚 at the bedside. We have Dr. (Victoria) Loerzel doing things with cancer patients, or some other of our faculty are doing things with fall risk and the elderly. Then we have research related to simulation, not just, how do you teach with simulation, but creating the science with holograms, with patient virtual beds, as well as the application of those things for our learners to have the best outcomes. So I believe that 激情快播 was just trotting along and then decided to do a full-out sprint. Like we鈥檙e going for it.
Alex Cumming: I鈥檓 glad to hear that. I鈥檓 glad to hear that 激情快播 is full speed ahead making all these leaps and bounds in the medical world and as a soon to be alum, I鈥檓 so excited to hear about what we continue to do and the amazing people that 激情快播 continues to produce that go out and heal the world. So you mentioned the simulation technology, and I want to ask you about that. You鈥檝e integrated simulation and technology into your classroom. Can you elaborate how you integrate them into your classroom? And what are the benefits that come from having that?
Desiree Diaz: OK. So that鈥檚 a multi-tiered question. So let me describe what we have first. So, we have a STIM Center , so that鈥檚 simulation, technology, innovation and modeling center. Within that center we have manikins that have chest rise and fall, they blink, they have lung sounds, bowel sounds, you can see an EKG. They just can鈥檛 reach out and grab you, just yet, but I鈥檓 sure that鈥檚 coming. Then we within that environment, we have multi-generational. So we have from a 12-hour-old infant to a manikin that actually births a baby. We also have a multi-ethnic and racial make up. So we really try to have diversity and not just the manikins, but also in the test trainers. So those are the arms and chest that we show. So we鈥檙e practicing what we preach in the STIM Center , which I really find that we鈥檝e been at the forefront of that in the nation, which has been fantastic. We then have another sidearm of augmented virtual and mixed realities. We work a lot with Dr. (Gregory) Welch鈥檚 lab. He is our Endowed Chair of Simulation in the STIM Center , and there鈥檚 a cave over in IST where you can go and you鈥檙e totally submerged in an environment now that we honestly use more for research initiatives when we鈥檙e creating the science, what is the best way? There鈥檚 a few of us that have some patents out under Dr. Welch鈥檚 leadership, where we have what鈥檚 called a patient virtual bed. So it鈥檚 a pediatric patient and you can touch it, there鈥檚 heat sensors, he will talk to you. A little bit different than a full-sized manikin, so we have that. Our augmented reality, I do quite a bit of research in there and our students are starting really to get that. So COVID has propelled us forward into this ARXR VR type of world. So our learners weren鈥檛 able to be in live births because of aerosol and the bodily fluids. So through augmented reality, we have HoloLens too, where they can put on and actually birth a baby. It is paired with a manikin. So you get that physical kind of touch because augmented reality is you can still see the world around you with these kind of computer overlays in your environment. And then we also use virtual reality where it鈥檚 total immersion. That takes a little bit more time to get used to with the VR and where we鈥檙e using this in grad and undergrad. Really the technology is in every aspect of our care that we鈥檙e doing or in our education of care and practice.
Alex Cumming: When you introduce the students to the simulation technology and VR 鈥� having researched it and seen it, I have never seen anything along those lines. And I thought it was just outstanding to read about and learn more. So, when you introduce it to the young students, what鈥檙e some of their initial reactions to it all?
Desiree Diaz: This is definitely aging me out here. So I ask at the beginning how many of you are familiar? The majority of them are familiar with AR and VR. A little bit different than my generation where, we are a little more tentative to trying new things. In our research we鈥檝e had about 2% that get, whether it be headaches or just can鈥檛 deal with the technology. I was surprised with No. 1, the willingness of our students coming in that are willing to utilize this strategy as well as their familiarity with it, it speaks a lot to the new generation and their expectations. So, you should expect to go to a university and try new things that you haven鈥檛 seen, that wasn鈥檛 in your high school that maybe you didn鈥檛 or couldn鈥檛 afford that technology. So, I think it鈥檚 really important for us to be at that next level. It鈥檚 like, wow, this is what we have. And I鈥檓 proud to say that the College of Nursing we have that opportunity for them.
Alex Cumming: Are you seeing the interest and passion for simulation technology in the medical world, growing into other hospitals and schools around the nation?
Desiree Diaz: Currently in Central Florida, and I鈥檒l speak specifically about nursing, all of the major hospitals use simulation for onboarding. My philosophy as the undergrad simulation coordinator is I want you to understand how to get through the simulation here, where it doesn鈥檛 affect your paycheck. I understand. It鈥檚 OK if you don鈥檛 like it, not everybody鈥檚 going to like everything, but that鈥檚 not my concern. My concern is can you get through it and perform at a level that鈥檚 not going to affect job performance or the job that you want. So a couple of years ago, I had two students come back after being six months in their hospital setting. So one student said, 鈥淵ou know, Dr. Diaz, I鈥檓 so sorry. I didn鈥檛 realize what you were saying was true.鈥� Now I always speak the truth to my students. I just want that out there. She said, 鈥淚n my interview I was asked, 鈥極h what do you think about simulation?鈥� 鈥� And the student said on this job interview, 鈥淚 hate it. It鈥檚 fake, that鈥檚 great it鈥檚 the new thing, but I just can鈥檛 get in the mode of suspending disbelief than pretending.鈥� She didn鈥檛 get the job. And when she explored why, they鈥檙e like, 鈥淵ou realize simulations is about patient safety. So it鈥檚 not about whether you like something or not.鈥� And the other student who came back said she had the same question. So, I never asked which hospital it is cause I don鈥檛 want to be biased. And she had the same question and she said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me to interact with the manikin, but I鈥檓 getting used to it. The more I do, I鈥檓 able to navigate that system, that pretend so-called world.鈥� And that the recruiter said to her, 鈥淲here are you trying to go?鈥� And she said, 鈥淚 want to be in the ICU.鈥� And she goes, 鈥淵ou realize you have to successfully complete these simulations before you鈥檙e able to go into that curriculum of the ICU training?鈥� And the students said, 鈥淥K, I鈥檓 OK to do that.鈥� So to me, that just really solidified the fact as to why we need to practice in the university setting prior to going into the hospital setting. And an example I give all the time is when you go and fly in an airplane, those pilots have done hours of simulation. And Lieutenant Sully a couple of years ago, or probably a decade now landed the plane on the Hudson. And he had only done that crash landing in simulation, but he saved 140 people鈥檚 lives that day. So if we can do that in the healthcare and mitigate some of the discrepancies that are out there with patient safety, I鈥檓 all for it.
Alex Cumming: Simulation technology is wonderful and the way that it continues to grow, and we have this whole younger generation aware of it, familiar with it, understanding it, coming into university. I鈥檓 curious if within the next decade we could see that technology so widespread that it鈥檚 in high schools. And instead of in biology class, dissecting frogs, they go to VR鈥橲 and manikins. Could you see something like that happening?
Desiree Diaz: Honestly, that鈥檚 such a political question because it requires so much funding. One of the big issues with simulation technology is having enough sim techs, sim operations, people. Education must go on, the teaching must go on despite a manikin going down. So you need somebody that鈥檚 nimble, able to quickly get it up and running. Same thing with AR, VR, nothing like having a poor learning experience because then it鈥檚 shown to affect future performance.
Alex Cumming: So with the simulation technology, you touched on it a moment ago, but in terms of identity, race and culture, how can the simulations help students remove stereotyping or assumptions or biases in patients?
Desiree Diaz: Funny thing you ask, so our (Order of) Pegasus nursing student, Erin Tonkin, just presented prior to me coming to the podcast. Her research is on healthcare disparities in simulation, in the simulation world and how do students really feel about that lived experience. And through her research and others, it really demonstrates that our students are not comfortable caring for people at high risk for disparities or in environments where social determinants of health are really affecting their daily lives. So if we can create a different platform for them, create a framework in simulation so they鈥檝e at least been exposed to a simulated world prior to having to deal with situations in the real world, it will be beneficial. Now comes with that a responsibility. You just can鈥檛 say, 鈥淥h yeah, here鈥檚 a Black or brown Manikin, and continue on sim. It has to be really thoughtfully integrated. What are the healthcare disparities? How can we mitigate the responses of the patients of the providers within those environments and creating social justice advocates, because a social justice advocate not only sees what鈥檚 right, but they do what鈥檚 right. And they also advocate when something鈥檚 not being done correctly. So when you鈥檙e looking at statistics and you think about people not returning for follow-up care solely because of how they are treated during initial care. That鈥檚 something we can change. First of all, people have to know what those facts are, know what those statistics are and then change them and be that beacon of light.
Alex Cumming: It sounds that that鈥檚 going back to the communication and being more aware of what鈥檚 happening in our world right now. Everything that鈥檚 going on and taking that knowledge into consideration when you bring yourself to a patient, having that knowledge of the United States of America, everything that happens here and bringing that to the people that you see.
Desiree Diaz: Absolutely. And some of those statistics are staggering, right? When you look at that, Black and brown mamas and babies are dying three to four times that of their non-Hispanic white counterparts for really issues related to social determinants of health, really based on where they live, the stress that they鈥檙e under, nothing that they personally, they themselves has done. And when we linked that back, that鈥檚 our dean of research, her research is in Black pregnant women. So, we try to loop in research into all of the scenarios. So, it鈥檚 not just one person鈥檚 opinion, here鈥檚 the statistics. Here鈥檚 what we鈥檙e looking at. How can we change that? And also thinking about that a person is not just as a medical diagnoses. So, if we say Black men or Hispanic women are three times as likely to have diabetes, it鈥檚 not just because they鈥檙e Black and Hispanic. What is the make up within that culture that creates some issues related to diabetes? Rice and beans, that鈥檚 high in carbs. Fried foods, that鈥檚 high in triglycerides and fat and carbs. So how does that work with then how we provide our care and understanding the background? Let鈥檚 call it the background noise to why they鈥檙e experiencing what they鈥檙e experiencing in that moment.
Alex Cumming: Do students, who might be unaware of background noise you were saying, go into a nursing field and they鈥檙e being presented with cultural statistics and sociology in some aspects, do some students get taken aback by that?
Desiree Diaz: I think there鈥檚 a process for the learners when they realize their living environment where they are, not everybody is. On the surface you say that yes, obviously there鈥檚 people that come from low income, but do you realize your zip code dictates how much funding you get into the high school? How much funding that gets into the high school dictates to the resources you have. Those resources dictate what my SAT scores might be. Those SAT scores dictate what college I鈥檓 going to get into, it鈥檚 such a big cycle. And when you really start to think about, wow, none of those things I just mentioned, do I, as an 18-year-old coming into the university have control over, but yet it affects my health, it鈥檚 sobering.
Alex Cumming: Making students more well-rounded, making them understand and reflect on themselves. Figure out themselves before they鈥檙e coming to patients.
Desiree Diaz: Let me give you an example, a really grounded example. We conduct a simulation where there鈥檚 a lot of our risk factors in this simulation. So it鈥檚 a mama and a baby. The mama is Afro-Caribbean. So she has the risk factors of women, Black women, who are at high risk for preterm birth and gestational diabetes, all of these things. The baby is born large for gestational age, which ties back to that and all. But we鈥檙e purposeful. And we have a dad in the scenario, so it鈥檚 not stereotypical. So we are deliberate in not projecting stereotypes, but we do a little twist and the dads in the military, a lot of people don鈥檛 think about the military component. So the father isn鈥檛 present he missed the birth, which has been fascinating for me this semester is to see the stigma that our students self-impose on that dad, that he鈥檚 not there. Not realizing the military, he doesn鈥檛 have a choice. He鈥檚 out to sea. 鈥淥h, where鈥檚 the dad?鈥� He missed it. It鈥檚 whoa, wait a minute, what biases are you bringing in without even potentially realizing it? And when you start to talk to them and unpeel these layers of social construct that they have, and not saying it鈥檚 a bad thing or a good thing. It鈥檚 just, we have these, our own biases and not understanding they鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, maybe I鈥檒l think twice about the dad.鈥� Who鈥檚 not present might be because of COVID, at home caring for the other three kids because they literally were relocated and there鈥檚 no one to care for the three kids at home while his wife is birthing. So it鈥檚 thinking on a much broader global scale than what your personal reference point is.
Alex Cumming: Thinking twice, thinking on a broader global scale. Those are the things you instill in your students to make them more culturally competent?
Desiree Diaz: So I like to use the term culturally congruent care is what we try to give. So cultural congruence includes cultural awareness. People say cultural competence, but it鈥檚 really now acting on that. I don鈥檛 think you can be culturally competent. There鈥檚 so many cultures out there. Cultural congruence is realizing someone is from a different culture and asking them, developing that partnership, 鈥淗ow does that work for you? Wow, there鈥檚 a lot of people in this room. Is that normal in your culture?鈥� Some cultures everybody鈥檚 in the room during birth. Some it鈥檚 just the mom, the dad鈥檚 not even in there. So understanding culture plays so much a part of what good care is to that patient. And it鈥檚 not about the provider, it鈥檚 about you understanding that I care what your culture is and how that is expressed to you.
Alex Cumming: I like that better than competence. It鈥檚 walking the walk as well as talking the talk and knowing and then acting upon that. So for yourself personally, what does it mean to you to be one of 20 certified advanced healthcare simulation educators in the world?
Desiree Diaz: I think it鈥檚 a responsibility for me. I I feel that I have an obligation to my professional simulationists, our simulation scientists to push that envelope, to push the line. What is OK, how can we make it better to take the risks, to think about research in a different light. So not just in simulation pedagogy and how we鈥檙e going to teach it but creating different ways of simulation. So exploring holograms, exploring VR, working with colleagues to expand the science. So when you鈥檙e the A, I like to say A not advanced or expert because we鈥檙e all just trying to do our best, but it鈥檚 really thinking about how can we be better. We鈥檝e never achieved. So once where we鈥檙e at, there鈥檚 always a different place to get to, that鈥檚 what I think about it.
Alex Cumming: This is not the plateau, this is merely a jumping off point. 激情快播 is this forward progression.
Desiree Diaz: With that responsibility and those expectations that come with that certification is, OK, you are going to do research. You are going to advance the science because we have colleagues that might be at the state college level that don鈥檛 have research funding or aren鈥檛 educated in research or our hospital colleagues that鈥檚 not part of their work requirement. They鈥檙e expecting us to advance that science to get the answers, to provide. The information that鈥檚 needed to get the funding because you always need a what鈥檚 the return on investment and what鈥檚 my outcome measure. So I think that鈥檚 our role in, in the world of simulationists.
Alex Cumming: 激情快播 really is here at the forefront showing these students, that it鈥檚 here, it鈥檚 good to be aware of it. I would hope that the students appreciate it when they鈥檙e here because they鈥檙e, like you said, funding really limits a lot of great students from being aware of simulation technology and how it鈥檚 going to be implemented into the medical field.
Desiree Diaz: It鈥檚 thinking beyond what you know. It鈥檚 kind of that Star Trek, Jetsons. It鈥檚 thinking the impossible, cause the impossible is only impossible until it became possible. Who would have thought that they鈥檙e doing XR in the surgical suite prior to surgeries? They鈥檙e using holograms, taking out the person鈥檚 heart in a hologram to actually see where they鈥檙e going in to insert the wires. It鈥檚 now going to start to trickle on different levels. We already have ultrasounds and things where we can see the vein so we can calculate the veins better than just going blind on an arm. I think there鈥檚 more to come. Funding has to be there, has to follow it and in order to get funding, you have to have the research and the science behind it. So it takes a total team effort. It鈥檚 just not a one person type of thing. It鈥檚, 鈥淥K, I need to trial this some set of people. Oh, you have the set of people. That鈥檚 great. Let鈥檚 do that.鈥� Then it鈥檚 also publishing, disseminating it, presenting it, those types of things. So 激情快播 is a great opportunity to have those collaborations to have that network.
Alex Cumming: I saw recently there鈥檙e conventions about simulation and technology. I saw you attended one recently, which is super cool to see that there鈥檚 all these great people who are so interested in advancing the field, just coming together to pow-wow and collaborate and brain think.
Desiree Diaz: So there鈥檚 one in June. INASCL, that鈥檚 the international nursing association of clinical simulation learning. That is a big force for us at 激情快播. The majority of nursing faculty in simulation will attend I actually made the slate for president elect, so fingers crossed, we鈥檒l find out at the end of the month. But that conference is really it is multidisciplinary, but geared towards application of simulation All different types of technologies. What we just came from the international meeting for the society for simulation and healthcare. That鈥檚 anesthesiologists, docs nurses, nurse practitioners, more of a collaborative science related to simulation.
Alex Cumming: What advice would you give to somebody who wants to work in the nursing field and do what it is you do in nursing education?
Desiree Diaz: So nursing education, I think there鈥檚 so many entry points that you can start that practice. So, I was a clinical nurse educator at first in the hospital settings for pediatric and surgical ICU. And then realizing there鈥檚 that student component, I really wanted the student component. So that鈥檚 what my shift to academia was. So, it depends on where you start. I think taking clinical groups into the hospital is a great place to get your feet wet. As a nurse educator, understanding all the different components of educating. Nursing student prior to their graduation is really important. So it鈥檚 sounds, oh, that鈥檚 not bad. You have eight to 10 nursing students on a floor. They all have a nurse. But you are the faculty responsible that they did pass their medication on time that they have that resource with you while you鈥檙e there on the unit. It is extremely stressful. So kudos to all of our clinical nurse educators out there. I just stepped in last spring because we were short last minute. And I was like, 鈥淥h, I forgot this,鈥� It鈥檚 taxing because an eight hour shift is more than eight hours because you鈥檙e circling back, making sure the students are learning their objectives that they鈥檙e supposed to be learning. Everything鈥檚 documented because at the end of the day, there鈥檚 real life people getting that care. And then there are some people that just no, I don鈥檛 want to do clinical. I just want to teach. And it鈥檚 understanding the different levels of teaching and what you need to do to be able to teach at that level, I think is really important.
Alex Cumming: Do you have advice for anybody who would want to get involved in simulation technology?
Desiree Diaz: Just start, just start. Reach out the sim community is really open arms to anyone. We are open arms at College of Nursing, any faculty who wants to try sin where like, 鈥淎h, come up and look and see what we do first.鈥� All of us, myself included when I do a simulation, I get evaluated by a peer. So none of us are beyond reproach. We鈥檙e all trying to learn and get better. We have opportunities for people to shadow if interested in that field. 激情快播 has a nursing simulation certificate program, post-masters, it鈥檚 three credit, three courses. In all of those three courses, you can come and shadow any day in the STIM Center . You come out as a simulation certificate person, and then most of them sit for their CHSE exam. And then we have the master鈥檚 in nursing simulation. So either way, if you don鈥檛 think I want a master鈥檚, you can get a three course certificate, which has been really important because the push now is to have some kind of proof of what is your education level related to simulation.
Alex Cumming: Wow, you could spend a lot of time at 激情快播 in the nursing program. That鈥檚 fantastic.
Desiree Diaz: Come on back, it鈥檚 interdisciplinary. So you have a degree in any kind of science field. You can take the sim course certificate. So we鈥檝e had people from computer science, from kinesiology, because it鈥檚 moving, there鈥檚 a lot of crossover.
Alex Cumming: The computer science students, 激情快播 has the amazing engineering programs that we do there鈥檚 bound to be great potential between students combining medical education and students who have more VR and simulation technology.
Desiree Diaz: Exactly there are now residencies for medical simulation. You can do a residency too.
Alex Cumming: You can spend your entire residency in-
Desiree Diaz: Medical simulation.
Alex Cumming: Since 2015, I imagine you鈥檝e seen students go from fresh faced, bushy-tailed undergrads going all the way through all these amazing programs.
Desiree Diaz: One in particular I鈥檓 thinking of was an honors student that worked with me. And then she went for her healthcare simulation certifacation. Finished her master鈥檚 in nursing education and now she鈥檚 not at a 激情快播, but she just called me and said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, am I going to do a DNP or Ph.D?鈥� You know, trying to figure out. And to me, that鈥檚 just one of the great rewards of being at a university with a good program.
Alex Cumming: And you didn鈥檛 say, 鈥淗ey, you can come on back. You know, we鈥檝e got all these stuff going on here.鈥�
Desiree Diaz: I always put that in there, but I try to, I try to be open-minded.
Alex Cumming: And what鈥檚 one thing that you are still hoping to do?
Desiree Diaz: I really want us to have a global impact, so more than 激情快播, more than Central Florida, making an impact. Related to healthcare disparities. Social determinants of health are going to change depending on the country, but being a resource, but also learning from the other places. For instance, my colleague and research partner, Dr. (Mindi) Anderson, and I just came back from the Bahamas where they just approved clinical replacement with simulation. So, they invited us to talk to them as experts, and we had to speak with their nursing board counsel for the Bahamas. Very intimidating, very old school. I mean, they, most of the nursing board council are seasoned nurses, and just asking us questions. We had to be on our game with the research. 鈥淲hy is it important? Who can do it? What鈥檚 the benefit if we have clinical placements?鈥� So just being that resource on a global perspective if we have the science, let鈥檚 get it out there let鈥檚 be that place where we鈥檙e getting called to come and facilitate for them.
Alex Cumming: Wow, that鈥檚 fantastic. Talk about global impact. You鈥檙e here presenting simulation technology who knows how many, lives that could change in the Bahamas? And I imagine that this interview, the questions are equally as difficult though as in the Bahamas.
Desiree Diaz: No, not uh, not as bad. Nursing boards historically have been reluctant to simulation at first. So nursing has been behind medicine, aviation, anesthesia, who are like, 鈥淵es, we need simulation nursing.鈥� We like that hand-to-hand contact at the bedside, which is great. And we need that, but it鈥檚 time to leverage some of our technologies to have improved education.
Alex Cumming: And speaking about the cultural congruency, I imagine Florida is such a great place to do it considering all the backgrounds, stories and history that comes together in Florida.
Desiree Diaz: It鈥檚 beautiful really. We have a unique opportunity, so I鈥檒l use this for a little kind of commercial. We have at the STIM Center opportunities for people in the community to participate in our simulations as they鈥檙e called embedded participants. So they鈥檙e volunteers, they end up being 激情快播 volunteers. You can be the granddad of the manikin. You can be the mom, we鈥檝e had the nanny, we鈥檝e had the baby daddy. And people laugh when I say baby daddy, but it鈥檚 really important. Diversity isn鈥檛 just in race and ethnic background. It鈥檚 in make up, family make up and family structure. So we do run a simulation where the mom is experiencing complications. Who鈥檚 pregnant and the baby dad isn鈥檛 with the mom anymore. And he鈥檚 only concerned about the baby鈥檚 wellbeing. So we have a student that typically had played that baby daddy. And then the manikins mom was there too. So two live people interacting because as you鈥檝e seen in recent events, interruption is a real thing in the hospital and you have to be able to manage some of those stressors by increasing your cognitive load. So colleague Dr. Peggy Hill recently defended her dissertation on that teaching our students interruption management strategies. How do you manage the patient when you have two people in the room? Maybe speaking loudly, maybe not, but asking you questions while you鈥檙e trying to think is not a very easy skill to learn on the fly in the hospital. So if we can practice that more. So if anyone鈥檚 out there that is thinking about volunteering, we have some members from life at 激情快播 that are tried and true grandmas and grandpas that come into our scenarios and they鈥檙e really beneficial, students really enjoy them.
Alex Cumming: We talked about the collaboration between nursing and computer science, there might be a collaboration between nursing and the theater students, the actors here on campus. Desiree, thank you so much. I so appreciate your time. Learned a lot about the stuff that goes into nursing and the education of nursing and what coming into it, you might not be aware of and the subconscious things, the things that the nurses know to facilitate with patients and to give the best care. So, thank you so much. I so appreciate your time and getting to hear from you.
Desiree Diaz: Thank you. Thank you for having me anytime.
Alex Cumming: It鈥檚 reassuring knowing that 激情快播 is leading the way in medical innovation as more students are becoming savvy with technology, it makes sense to bring it into the classroom. On the next episode of Knights Do That, I鈥檒l be joined by actor and 激情快播 alum, Adrian R鈥橫ante, who you may know best from the hit Disney channel show, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. We鈥檒l chat about his journey at 激情快播 to landing his role on the Suite Life of Zack and Cody and what advice you would give to young actors. For 20-somethings like myself, chatting with him was a great trip down memory lane and I can鈥檛 wait for y鈥檃ll to hear it.
Arian R’Mante: When you’re pursuing your acting career in college, you always have those performances that stand out. I had a couple, I did cabaret there, musical, and I’m not a singer, but I’m a good actor. So I acted like I could sing and I fooled them all just like I fooled everybody that Esteban had an ac-, well that Adrian R’Mante, has an accent.
I don’t, I played one. That was an amazing- to this day one of my best performances of all time was right there at that 激情快播 Theater. That’s my true story and without my foundation at 激情快播, I wouldn’t be where I am today, for sure. Hundred percent
