title: Thinking inside the box: the tele-intensive care unit as a new clinical site.
abstract: The tele-intensive care unit (ICU) offers students an opportunity to observe the decision-making process of nurses working in consultative teams in a high-acuity environment, providing a unique opportunity for novices to "see" into the thinking and the communication of expert nurses. Students are often overwhelmed by the physical environment of an ICU--specifically, its noise, technology, and pace--and often are relegated to the sidelines when a patient becomes unstable. Clinical education in the tele-ICU allows students to participate safely in the care of complex, unstable patients. Nurse educators, as experienced tele-ICU nurses, can help students to process complex information and can model intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary communication about patient concerns. The experience moves the students from engagement in tasks and a linear process of thinking to engagement in decision making and a more complex understanding of the nurse's role in patient care.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 04101, USA. sepples@usm.maine.edu
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sepples
authors.forename: Susan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Goran
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmer-Rankin
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D018961:Educational Technology; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D055817:Telenursing; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface