Hello:

As a program director I do have some concerns about making this a proposed regulation as opposed to just a recommendation. We are currently still in a pandemic state and adding the need for all educators that teach simulation to be certified right now and for the lab to be certified as a simulation center will put further strain on budgets for small programs during the pandemic. It will take time for faculty to obtain proper education and certification in simulation especially when no face to face classes are being held nor mannequin training due to the pandemic. I disagree with the board's analysis of financial impact. It states that there is not any due to this being a choice to provide simulation. It is not a choice when the program is displaced from all clinical sites like PVCC was from March 2020 to May 2021 for our three major clinical providers. Simulation activities for clinical were needed to provide clinical hours to meet the clinical objectives. The VBON needs to reconsider this until the pandemic is fully subsided. We still do not know what the variants of Covid-19 strain will do and facilities still may impose restrictions in 2021 to 2022. This is not over yet. Why restrict nursing programs and make it more difficult to educate nurses to help? Let's think this over.....please do not tie each program's hands and eliminate our options!