The Challenge of Simulation with Large Classes: Experience of the Primary Care NP Program

Low fidelity OSCE simulation strategies have been used successfully in medical education for decades for both educational and evaluative purposes. However, many NP educators have faced challenges with this  intervention and have yet to fully embrace it.  Specifically, educators point to limited resources and faculty numbers as being prohibitive to the widespread use of the OSCE simulation, especially in classes with large numbers of students.  At this College of Nursing, the Adult Primary Care NP program is the largest track within the graduate division, with 64 students graduating in 2012 and 75 expected to graduate in 2013.  With its commitment to simulation, the faculty has developed a unique low fidelity format to allow regular simulation of Primary Care NP students at several key points during the curriculum. The simulations are used for both formative and evaluative purposes, using the OSCE model. This presentation will present background information on the use of the OSCE in NP education, review the common challenges faced by larger NP programs, and describe the strategies developed by the NYU College of Nursing to meet the simulation needs of a large class with limited faculty resources.