Why We Built a Simulated EHR for Nursing Education
The gap between classroom instruction and clinical reality is wider than it needs to be. Here's how HealthCareSim bridges it with a purpose-built simulation EHR.
Every nursing student will eventually sit in front of an electronic health record. The charting, the medication verification, and the documentation workflows are the daily tools of modern healthcare. But most students don’t touch a real EHR until clinicals, and even then, their access is read-only or heavily restricted.
The Problem with Generic Tools
Some programs improvise with paper charts or half-baked digital spreadsheets. Others license stripped-down versions of production EHR systems that were never designed for education. None of these approaches work well:
- Paper charts don’t prepare students for the digital workflows they’ll actually use.
- Spreadsheets are never complete or thorough enough, and lack the ability to dynamically respond during real-time learning scenarios.
- Production EHR training environments are expensive, overly complex, and lack instructor controls.
- None of these are designed to provide a safe space for students to make and learn from their mistakes.
A Different Approach
HealthCareSim was designed from the start as a teaching tool, not a scaled-down clinical system. Every feature exists because an educator needed it in a sim lab.
The medication administration workflow, for example, mirrors real standards for safe medication administration and verification, but with instructor-configurable scenarios that let faculty create specific learning opportunities. Students scan barcodes, verify patient identity, check allergies, and document administration.
What’s Next
We’re working with our beta partner schools to refine the instructor dashboard, expand the scenario library, and prepare for broader availability this fall. If you’re interested in seeing HealthCareSim in your sim lab, reach out for a demo.