Increasing the Self-Confidence of School Nurses to Respond to Emergency Situations.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: School nurses have various degrees of experience responding to respiratory or cardiac emergencies, and most only receive Basic Life Support training every 2 years as required. The goal of the study was to assess school nurses' confidence and competence in emergency situations before and after engaging in emergency preparedness high-fidelity simulations. METHOD: This mixed methods study used a pre-/postsimulation survey design for a group of school nurses (N = 40) in the State of Hawaii. The pre- and postsimulation survey assessed professional demographics and measured confidence. After the presimulation survey, nurses participated in a 1-day training that included two separate emergency simulations using high-fidelity equipment. In addition, education was provided on the program's standardized emergency supply bags with equipment and their use during an emergency. The postsimulation survey was distributed 5 days after the educational intervention. RESULTS: All confidence items significantly improved after the simulation session. Nurses noted the value of the training and hands-on simulation experience. CONCLUSION: Simulation is a useful tool for increasing school nurses' confidence in responding to emergencies occurring on school campuses. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(2)71-77.].