Use of High Fidelity Simulation with Advanced Practice Nursing Students

With the growing need for advanced practice nurses, it is important that students have adequate exposure to patient situations in a safe environment.  It is equally important when using a new method of teaching-learning, that faculty gain a broader understanding of the learning experience from the student perspective.  Purpose:  The purpose of this study is to explore student perceptions of high-fidelity simulation as an innovative teaching-learning strategy in graduate nursing education.  Design:  A survey study design was used.  Sample:  Thirty-nine nurse practitioner students from three course groups at a private Midwestern university participated.  Nurse practitioner students from adult acute care, adult primary care, and family primary care tracks participated in at least one of three simulations with faculty.  All simulations were run by nurse practitioner faculty and debriefing with feedback followed immediately.  Data collection:  A 17-item survey was developed based on the Medical Education Technologies Incorporated (METI) Simulation Effectiveness tool.  Thirteen of the questions are on a three-point Likert-type scale and range from do not agree to strongly agree.  The remaining four questions are short answer.  An email from the investigators was delivered to the students via their online learning system inviting them to participate in the study.  The survey was open from June through August 2012.  Analysis:  Data was analyzed using nonparametric methods.  The majority of students strongly or somewhat agreed that they had increased understanding of classroom content after simulation.  This included a better understanding of how to obtain a pertinent history and physical exam, increased confidence in their ability to recognize abnormal assessment findings, feeling challenged in their thinking and decision-making skills, and the ability to develop diagnosis and management plans.  Students felt more confident in communicating with both the patient and the preceptor.  Consistent with the literature, the debriefing and immediate feedback was reported as valuable.  Ultimately, students felt they were more prepared to care for real patients.  This presentation is suitable for both the novice and seasoned nurse practitioner faculty.