Level Up Your Teaching With Virtual Patient Scenarios

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, nursing students must develop strong clinical reasoning, decisive clinical judgment abilities, and effective patient skills—all within a safe, supportive space. That’s where i-Human Patients by Kaplan comes in. This virtual simulation platform brings realistic, interactive patient scenarios to life, making it a game-changer for teaching in the classroom, clinical rotations, and simulation labs.

With i-Human, you can bridge the gap between theory and practice. It gives students the chance to tackle high-risk, low-frequency cases, hone their critical thinking, and build confidence—all while ensuring patient safety. It’s a win-win for both students and educators. From the classroom to clinical rotations and simulation labs, let’s explore how to create engaging, immersive experiences that prepare nursing students for the real-world challenges they’ll face in their careers.

Using i-Human in the Classroom: Bridging Theory and Practice

The classroom is an ideal environment to introduce i-Human, providing students with the chance to engage with virtual patient scenarios that bring lecture content to life. From pre-class assignments that prepare students for in-depth discussions to case-based learning and real-time simulations, i-Human transforms passive learning into active engagement.

Pre-Class Assignments

• Assign students to complete a virtual patient encounter related to the upcoming class topic
• Alternatively, can assign a single section of the case
• Students come to class with a foundational understanding of a clinical case
• Students prepared for discussions or hands-on learning activities

Case-Based Learning with Interactive Group Discussions

• Assign groups of students a different i-Human case related to a particular diagnosis
• Groups work together to complete the patient encounter
• Have groups present their findings and discuss their decisions in class

Real-Time Simulation and Clinical Decision-Making

• Instructor-led activity where a simulation is completed during class by projecting the simulation on a screen and guiding the class through the scenario
• Students collaboratively make decisions
• Faculty support rationales and use Socratic questioning to facilitate clinical judgment

Flipped Classroom Model

• Assign completion of an i-Human virtual patient encounter before class
• During class, discussions on different clinical approaches, medications, comorbid patient conditions augment learning
• Have students create concept maps to organize information visually

Formative Assessments

• Assign a segment of an i-Human case to focus on specific skills such as history taking or physical exams
• Students complete the case during class
• Faculty discuss common errors or areas of improvement

Debriefing and Reflection

• Assign completion of an i-Human virtual patient encounter before class
• Faculty review analytics before meeting to determine missed or extraneous exams, concepts, actions, etc. 
• Engage students in debriefing sessions using the open-ended questions within i-Human to highlight clinical reasoning steps, correct misconceptions, and provide feedback

Comparative Analysis: Cross-Case Learning

• Assign groups of students’ different patient cases in same category (ex. Respiratory – asthma vs. pneumonia)
• Have the students compare their patient conditions, approaches, care, and outcomes
• Compare best practices for treatment and care

Summative Review Sessions

• Select cases that cover key course content and assign to students as part of an exam review
• Students complete case and faculty review decisions and explore common pitfalls
• Class discussion of therapeutic interventions

Enhancing Clinical Rotations with i-Human: Filling Gaps and Preparing Students

Clinical rotations are a cornerstone of nursing education, but they don’t always provide exposure to the full spectrum of patient conditions students need to master. i-Human helps fill these gaps by offering virtual encounters with high-risk, low-frequency conditions and patient cases tailored to specific clinical settings.

Clinical Rotation Preparation

• Pre-clinical practice for skills such as reviewing electronic health records, reading medication administration records, patient assessment, and interpreting diagnostic/laboratory tests
• Assign cases that reflect clinical focus (Medical-Surgical, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, etc.)
• Provides foundation of knowledge and skills, improves performance and reduces anxiety
• Utilize pre-brief questions to prepare students for clinical rotations

Supplementing Clinical Hours

• Filling the gaps in clinical experiences with wide range of patient cases
• High-risk, low-frequency conditions
• Lack of patients due to low census or delegated to an observational role due to high patient acuity or clinical absence
• Learners still can achieve clinical learning objectives

Clinical Post-Conference Reflection

• Assign i-Human cases after a clinical rotation that mirrors some of the actual cases students encounter, allowing students to compare their virtual performance with their real-world experience
• Use the structured debriefing questions to discuss decision-making processes
• Reinforces learning

Integrating i-Human in the Simulation Lab: A Hybrid Approach to Learning

The simulation lab provides a controlled environment for hands-on skill development but pairing it with virtual simulations takes the experience to the next level. i-Human can be used to complement traditional manikin-based simulations, allowing students to practice decision-making, explore complex scenarios, and receive immediate feedback.

Enhancement of the Simulation Lab Experience

• Using i-Human cases combined with high-fidelity manikin situations to create blended learning, leveraging the hands-on practice with virtual decision-making
• Pre-Simulation preparation using an i-Human case to set the stage for the high-fidelity simulation experience
• Post-Simulation debriefing by using an i-Human case to apply the lessons learned in the lab

Formative and Summative Assessment of Clinical Competencies in the Sim Lab

• Use i-Human for low-stakes assessments to track student progress on specific skills or diagnoses
• Summative assessment using an i-Human case to manage a complex patient, putting together all the information learned in a simulation lab

Competency Remediation

• Targeted practice with i-Human for students needing additional support to improve communication, assessment, or time management
• Use i-Human patient encounters to personalize a learning plan for students struggling to build confidence and competence

Using i-Human Patients makes nursing education more engaging, practical, and effective. Whether in the classroom, clinical rotations, or simulation labs, it bridges the gap between theory and practice, helping students build confidence, sharpen clinical reasoning, and prepare for real-world care. With this innovative tool, educators can create a supportive, hands-on learning experience that truly prepares future nurses for today’s healthcare challenges.