Amid the increasing challenges faced by the health sector in Jordan, the file of nursing education emerges as one of the most pressing, amid growing questions about the ability of Jordanian universities to keep up with global transformations in the use of artificial intelligence, ensuring the graduation of more efficient and safer nurses, especially with the continuous increase in nursing student numbers versus limited clinical training opportunities in teaching hospitals.
The world is witnessing a rapid transformation in the deployment of artificial intelligence across various sectors, especially the health sector, where this development is no longer a futuristic option or a technical luxury, but a necessity imposed by the requirements of patient safety and education quality. While many countries have begun integrating artificial intelligence into nursing education, this file in Jordanian universities still needs serious discussion and practical steps commensurate with the challenges faced by the health system.
Nursing education in Jordanian universities faces clear challenges, the most prominent being the limited actual clinical training due to the rising number of students versus the limited capacity in teaching hospitals. Many students graduate possessing good theoretical knowledge but lack practical readiness and confidence in making clinical decisions under pressure, creating a real gap between academic education and practical reality requirements.
In this context, artificial intelligence emerges as a practical and realistic solution that can help bridge this gap, not by replacing actual clinical training, but by providing a safe educational environment that precedes direct patient interaction. Intelligent simulation technologies allow the student to handle clinical cases that simulate reality, practice decision-making, make mistakes, and learn from them without endangering patients.
Nursing errors that appear in the work environment often do not start within the hospital but trace back to the preparation and training phase. A recently graduated nurse, who works under pressure and lacks adequate training in critical thinking and complex situation management, is more prone to error. Introducing artificial intelligence into nursing education contributes to training students in medication administration, dosage calculation, reading vital signs, and handling critical cases, directly reflecting on reducing errors and improving patient safety.
On the other hand, the health job market, both inside and outside Jordan, no longer suffices with just a nursing degree. Hospitals today seek a graduate who possesses real clinical skills, quick responsiveness, and the ability to analyze and make decisions in complex work environments. Universities that invest in modern education supported by artificial intelligence enhance their graduates' employment opportunities, boost their academic reputation, and affirm their commitment to education quality, not just the number of graduates.
A strong graduate is one who possesses the skills and competencies that qualify him to work within the European and American health systems, where he only needs to review the content and prepare to pass board exams, whether American, British, Canadian, Australian, German, or others, without needing to rebuild his skills from scratch. This approach serves not only the graduate but also directly reflects on building a safer and more efficient health system.
The fears that artificial intelligence may eliminate the role of the faculty member are inaccurate. On the contrary, these technologies support the teacher by providing better tools to monitor student performance, identify weaknesses, and steer the educational process toward deep thinking instead of being preoccupied with routine assessment, while the professor remains the cornerstone of the educational process.
In light of the foregoing, developing nursing education in Jordanian universities requires clear practical steps, starting with integrating smart clinical simulation into the curricula, training faculty members on using educational artificial intelligence technologies, and enhancing the partnership between universities and teaching hospitals. This entails updating the accreditation standards of nursing programs to include these technologies as part of the education quality, ensuring the graduation of more prepared nurses, and enhancing patient safety and the efficiency of the health system.
Today, Jordanian universities face a clear choice: either continue with traditional education that produces graduates facing the shock of the health reality or move to modern education that invests in artificial intelligence and prioritizes patient safety and care quality. The world does not wait, the job market is unforgiving, and the health sector cannot afford more delays.
Introducing artificial intelligence into nursing education in Jordanian universities is no longer a futuristic option but a national necessity and an educational and ethical responsibility; any delay in developing education today will cost the patient tomorrow, and investing in artificial intelligence is an investment in the efficiency of the nurse, the safety of the patient, and the future of the Jordanian health system.
