ReNurse Academy touts virtual clinical training as board presses for evidence and employer feedback
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Summary
ReNurse Academy reported growth in refresher-program enrollment and defended use of Shadow Health virtual clinical tools; board members and educators questioned whether virtual clinical counts as in-person clinical in Connecticut and asked for evidence and employer response rates.
ReNurse Academy director Britney Faison presented the school’s April 2024–Dec. 2025 report and defended the program’s use of virtual clinical simulations to standardize refresher training for RNs and LPNs.
Faison said the program has seen a surge in applicants and relies on virtual simulations and a preceptor pathway to manage clinical placement bottlenecks. "The shadow health experiences have been most effective," she said, describing how the virtual modules require students to ask specified assessment questions, complete documentation and perform standardized skills such as medication passes and wound care.
Board members pressed for data and clarity. Mary Dietman asked whether preceptors must hold a BSN (Faison said yes, with MSN preferred and two years’ experience required) and asked for employer-survey response rates. Faison said participant surveys gather employer contact information and consent to follow up, but she did not provide a concrete employer-response percentage during the meeting.
Several educators on the board challenged the scope of virtual clinical. Board member Mary Dietman said the state does not allow Shadow Health virtual clinicals to "count as clinical experiences" in Connecticut and asked Faison to provide peer-reviewed evidence supporting the program’s claims. Salvatore Diaz said his experience with Shadow Health differed and asked for research supporting virtual alternatives to in-person clinical experience. The exchange grew heated as board members and the presenter debated documentation training, simulation evidence, and program expansion plans.
The board acknowledged that ReNurse Academy’s program remains approved by the board and invited the director back with additional evidence, percent-based employer feedback, and updates on any planned expansion to in-person simulation labs or virtual-reality enhancements.
No regulatory action was taken; the board said it would receive further reports as the program develops.