AUT - Gwen Erlam

Gwen Erlam

Senior Lecturer - Nursing; Clinical Skills Development Leader - School of Health Care Practice, Nursing

Phone: +64 9 9219999 ext. 7656

Email: gerlam@aut.ac.nz

Physical Address:
Room AA251
North Shore Campus
90 Akoranga Drive
Northcote
North Shore City

Address for blogs:

Contributor to AKO simulation in nursing education website

http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/resource_types/website

Links to relevant web pages:

AKO website (Simulation in nursing education)

http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/resource_types/website

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), U.S.A.

Master of Arts (Applied) M.A., U.S.A.

Master’s in Education (Distance and online education), Massey

Current Doctoral student at AUT (DHSc)

Teaching Areas:

Clinical skills development as a precursor to simulation

Health Assessment in clinical settings

Simulation in undergraduate nursing education

Research areas:

Simulation in undergraduate healthcare education

Pre-loading of students to better prepare for acute clinical settings. 

Pathophysiology, and pharmacology taught with the goal of preparing students for effective assessment and management of deteriorating patients.

Research Summary:

The focus of my research to apply an  action research methodology, informed by the philosophy of John Dewey, to simulated learning experiences with the purpose of designing more effective platforms to  ‘reach’ Millennial students (aged18-30 years in 2012). Some have argued that the educational environments in which Millennial students are prepared have not evolved sufficiently to meet the different learning styles of these students. Further, today’s healthcare settings have evolved to include increasingly complex patients whose safe care demands a high level of preparation in nursing students.    Furthermore,  not all students experience the same types of patients/complexities in their clinical placements, thus making mandatory clinical hours an unreliable means of ensuring that all students are deemed safe and competent to practice. 

While simulated environments do appeal to Millennial students who are irrevocably and unashamedly connected to technology, an action research approach of how simulation can best be designed to ‘reach’ Millennial students will enable the students themselves to give input into effective pedagogy.  

Current Research Projects:

Currently enrolled in DHSc.:  Action research methodology implemented with the intention of learning how to maximise simulated learning environments for undergraduate healthcare students.