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ReNurse Academy reports growth; board questions Shadow Health virtual clinical use
Summary
ReNurse Academy reported increased enrollments and use of Shadow Health virtual clinical experiences; board members raised questions about evidence supporting virtual clinicals, preceptor qualifications, employer feedback rates and whether virtual clinical counts as clinical experience under Connecticut practice rules.
ReNurse Academy director Britney Faison told the Connecticut Board of Nursing that the program has seen a surge in participants since 2024 and has adopted virtual clinical experiences (Shadow Health) and a preceptor pathway to reduce wait times for in-person clinicals. Faison said the virtual component standardizes student experiences and helps teach documentation and clinical decision steps.
"We have had a surge of applicants over the past 2 years," Faison said, and described a mix of virtual clinical work, preceptor placements and regulatory oversight for preceptors. She said preceptors must be BSN-prepared (MSN preferred), have at least two years’ RN experience and no disciplinary actions for five years.
Several board members questioned the evidence base and statutory status of virtual clinicals. Board member Mary Dieteman asked for employer-survey response rates and other outcome measures; Dieteman and others said they would like concrete percentages showing employer feedback. Member Sal Salvatore Diaz asked what research supports virtual clinicals compared with in-person simulation labs. Dieteman and another member noted that, in Connecticut, virtual clinical simulation (Shadow Health) is not counted as clinical experience for nursing programs, and asked Faison to provide peer-reviewed evidence and follow-up data.
Faison said the board had previously approved ReNurse’s use of virtual clinicals for this refresher program (approval in 2021) and said she plans to expand to additional simulation modalities, including virtual reality, while keeping the program affordable. The board invited Faison to return with additional evaluation data and asked DPH staff to monitor program reports.
