Effect of Multiple-Patient Simulation on Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Anxiety and Self-confidence: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Multiple-patient simulation (MPS) allows nursing students to develop leadership skills. Limited research examining student outcomes following MPS exists. PURPOSE: This pilot study investigated the impact of MPS on (1) anxiety with transition to practice, (2) anxiety with clinical decision-making, (3) self-confidence with clinical decision-making, and (4) perceptions about MPS as a learning strategy. METHODS: Twenty-two senior baccalaureate nursing students participated in this 2-group mixed-methods study. Data were collected before and after a leadership course using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision-Making Scale, and a researcher-developed perceptions survey. RESULTS: Self-confidence with clinical decision-making significantly increased for all participants regardless of group assignment. Anxiety and anxiety with clinical decision-making decreased without significant changes. No significant differences were found between groups. Qualitative findings yielded 3 themes: preparation for clinical practice, overcoming anxiety, and confidence. CONCLUSION: Research investigating additional student outcomes after MPS with larger, more diverse samples is needed.

TeamSTEPPS Curricular-Wide Integration: Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions.

BACKGROUND: To promote safe patient care, nurses must work collaboratively with members of the interprofessional health care team. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to explore the effect of a curricular-wide integration of TeamSTEPPS training on baccalaureate nursing students' teamwork knowledge and attitudes and to describe students' perceptions of TeamSTEPPS curricular-wide integration. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study, the experimental group engaged in a curricular-wide integration of TeamSTEPPS throughout the baccalaureate nursing program, whereas the control group received no TeamSTEPPS training. RESULTS: The experimental group had significantly higher teamwork knowledge than the control group after training. The curricular-wide integration of TeamSTEPPS was positively received by students. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of integrating TeamSTEPPS teamwork training throughout a baccalaureate nursing curriculum, as well as the knowledge gained by students because of this curricular-wide integration. With further research, TeamSTEPPS could offer an evidence-based approach to promote the interprofessional teamwork knowledge and skills nursing students need for safe patient care.

Simulated Participants as Health Care Providers: An Innovative Approach to Interprofessional Simulation.

ABSTRACT: With the increased attention to patient safety and quality care in health care, it is imperative that prelicensure health care provider students are taught to collaborate effectively to decrease medical errors. For this project, simulated participants were utilized as health care providers for a simulation in a stand-alone nursing school without affiliation to a medical or allied health school. Both simulated participants and students reacted positively to the experience. This project demonstrated that utilizing simulated participants to portray health care providers in simulation scenarios is a feasible and well-received method of providing learning experiences that emphasize the importance of collaboration.

Innovative Approach to Address Disability Concepts and Standardized Patients With Disability in an Undergraduate Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Despite a growing population of people with disabilities (PWD), health care professionals, including nurses, receive little educational preparation to provide health care to them. To address this issue in nursing education, the faculty of a school of nursing designed and implemented an innovative teaching strategy that can be adopted by other nursing programs and faculty. METHOD: A systematic plan was developed and implemented to integrate standardized patients with disabilities (SPWD) into an existing undergraduate nursing program. Steps included careful planning, review, and modification of existing simulation-based scenarios, obtaining buy-in of faculty across the curriculum, recruitment and training of PWD to be SPWD, and implementation of the project. RESULTS: The program in which all undergraduate nursing students have repeated contact with SPWD has been successfully implemented throughout the curriculum. CONCLUSION: The project addressed the multiple calls to improve the preparation of health care professionals to provide quality care to PWD. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(12):760-764.].

Development of Formative Capstone Simulations to Prepare Novice Students for Initial Clinical Practicum.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students often describe initial clinical experiences as extremely anxiety producing. Anxiety can decrease performance ability and, consequently, increase the risk for patient harm. Strategies to decrease this anxiety related to clinical experiences are limited within the nursing education literature. METHOD: Faculty in a 4-year baccalaureate nursing program developed and implemented formative capstone simulation scenarios with standardized patients, integrating therapeutic communication, essential patient care skills, and clinical reasoning for novice nursing students prior to their entry into their first clinical practicum. This article discusses the rationale, development, and implementation of these formative capstone simulation scenarios. RESULTS: Anecdotal student and faculty comments related to the formative capstone simulation scenarios were positive. CONCLUSIONS: Formative capstone simulation scenarios offer a method to prepare novice students for initial clinical practicum that is well received. Research is needed to formally examine the relationship between formative capstone simulation scenarios and student anxiety related to initial clinical practicum. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(10):587-589.].

Persons with Disability: Their Experiences as Standardized Patients in an Undergraduate Nursing Program.

This descriptive qualitative study examined experiences of standardized patients with disabilities (SPWDs) in an undergraduate nursing program through focus group and telephone interviews. Content analysis identified five themes: 1) desire to improve care for others, 2) opportunity to be productive again, 3) joy in seeing students learn, 4) desire for more feedback on performance, and 5) importance of having SPWDs assess accessibility of the facility. SPWDs participated to improve sensitivity of students to disability and appreciated having a voice in educating future nurses. They requested more feedback on their performance and identified accessibility issues in the state-of-the-art nursing school building.