Beyond the Bedside: How Tech is Transforming My Teaching Days
My name is Jillian Maas, and I’m a registered nurse and nursing instructor with Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Four years ago, I made the shift from bedside nursing in the NICU to teaching, and I have had to learn a lot about technology as we are still PAPER charting in the hospital. Can you believe that in 2025 we are still not using computers for charting in the NICU!!!!!
A typical day in my teaching life blends traditional nursing in the clinical setting (hospital) with classroom teaching. I teach a lot of labs and use PowerPoint the majority of the time in those settings. Zoom is also a platform I use often. At Sask Polytech our institution uses it for online lectures, but I mainly use it for student check-ins and student feedback. I still love face-to-face conversations, especially when a student is struggling or just needs a bit of extra support, but Zoom has proven to be an amazing tool to bridge the gap when time or distance gets in the way. Email also plays a huge role in daily communication. My inbox is constantly full of assignments, questions, and general communication from students.
One of the most exciting developments in our program this year is the introduction of virtual reality (VR) in the Simulation Center. This is huge for nursing education. We have always relied on high-fidelity mannequins that simulate breath sounds, heartbeats, and other critical signs. But those rooms are in high demand and not always available. VR opens so many new opportunities for students. They can step into realistic nursing scenarios in a digital space and practice clinical decision-making in a safe, immersive environment. It’s a new and exciting advancement for both learners and instructors. The learning curve is going to be huge for me. I am honestly a bit nervous to learn this new technology in the fall. I feel that I have a great connection with students through the use of technology and also traditional classroom interactions😊
With permission from her mama this is baby Azariah. She is a special NICU baby who, without the life-saving technology in NICU would never be here today! She was born at 500 grams and 24 weeks old. She spent over 120 days in our Regina NICU and went HOME TODAY!!! She holds the most special part of my heart, and I love her so much. Babies like Azariah are why I am a nurse and love teaching our next generation of nurses. She is a great example of how education and technology merged and saved her life.
Have a great weekend!!!
Jillian
Hey Jillian,
Well, this is definitely the first time I’ve been left in tears reading a peer’s blog post. Blame the pregnancy hormones, the adorable picture or the amazing story…what a way to start my morning! The photo is what made me stop and click on your blog post in the first place – cute babies are a great way to capture an audience it seems haha!
Thanks for sharing how you use technology in your work. Your job is unique in this class, that seems to be (mostly) full of classroom teachers in the education system, so I found it especially interesting to read about how technology is being used in a Sask Polytech setting and in relation to nursing education. The VR learning opportunities sound incredible. My dad used to work at the General Hospital and helped with the preparation and opening of their Sim center there – I’ve been a few times and couldn’t believe the technology that was available for learning and hands on medical practice!
It sounds likes you really strive to maintain personal connections with your students, despite the typical online meetings, virtual classes, etc. I agree that in-person, one-on-one conversations are irreplaceable but that tech is a fantastic tool to help when time or access is limited. Your students are lucky to have such a hands on and passionate instructor!
Thanks for sharing your experience – look forward to reading more of your posts! 🙂
– Teagan Bryden
Please don’t cry, it must be the pregnancy hormones! I’m super happy that you were touched by my post. I definitely love my job. The SIM lab at RGH is amazing so cool your dad was involved.
Hi Jillian,
Thank you for such a heartfelt and inspiring post! I loved reading about your journey from bedside nursing to teaching—it’s incredible how you’re embracing both traditional and emerging technologies to support your students. The introduction of VR sounds like such an exciting step for nursing education (even if it’s a little intimidating at first!). And baby Azariah’s story truly touched me—what a beautiful reminder of the power of both human care and medical technology.
Wishing you all the best as you dive into VR this fall!
—Kaela
Hi Kaela, It’s really cool for me to flip back and forth from bedside nursing to teaching. It’s been a long road learning different technologies and getting to where I am nw. Somedays I think i might go a little crazy trying to keep track of where I’m supposed to be each day, LOL. I am happy that baby Azariah story touched you. She sure is a special little baby.
Thank you for sharing a day in your life as a NICU nurse and for sharing Azariah’s story with us. Your passion for your patients is so evident!
I was really surprised to hear that your unit is still using paper charting—I am curious why there hasn’t been a shift yet. I totally feel your pain with the paper! This past year, I moved from a high school where every student had their own Google Chromebook to a school where I had to constantly book Chromebook carts or computer labs—and they weren’t always available when I needed them. The amount of paper I had to deal with was honestly painful. After getting used to everything digital, going back felt like such a step backward!
The introduction of Virtual Reality sounds like an incredible advancement for the nursing program, and I have no doubt that once you learn the ropes, you will be great at it (just like you are with blogging!). It is so interesting to me that in both education and healthcare, technology doesn’t have to replace the human element—it can be thoughtfully integrated to enhance what we do. In the end, it is about giving patients the best care and students the best learning experience possible.
Hi Leanne, thank you for your message and the kind words. I sure do LOVE my job. It’s really wild that we are still paper charting. I often can’t believe it myself. Most centers in Regina are actually still using paper charts. With all the technology available, it’s surprising that we don’t have everything digital by now. I can imagine how backwards it would feel to go back to paper after being digital:)