Suzan Kardong-Edgren

The Integration of Simulation into a Clinical Foundations of Nursing Course: Student and Faculty Perspectives

Taking the initial steps to integrate simulation into a nursing program can appear overwhelming to faculty and supportive personnel. This paper will describe an approach taken by one undergraduate nursing program in the United States that focused on integrating simulation into a clinical foundations nursing course. Current research was used to guide the design and implementation of simulation. Several key points from the literature were applied to the process; linking scenarios with didactic information, the importance of debriefing, and the need for repetitive practice. Using these concepts, simulation scenarios were constructed following the Nursing Education Simulation Framework. Three scenarios were subsequently implemented during the course, with data from students and faculty collected after each scenario. The results indicate the students perceived the design and implementation to be very agreeable, while faculty reactions to simulation remain mixed. However, there was universal support concerning the use of repetitive practice of foundational skills to enhance learning outcomes.

Cultural competency of graduating US Bachelor of Science nursing students.

Abstract Cultural competence in the delivery of nursing care is an expectation of accreditation and approval boards for nursing in the United States. This study evaluated the effectiveness of four different nursing program curricula in developing culturally competent new graduates. Four methodologically and geographically diverse groups of graduating BSN students in the United States were given the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals-Revised (IAPCCC-R®) prior to graduation and after completion of course work. A variety of curricular methods for achieving cultural competency were included. Two programs utilise a theory or a model developed by recognised transcultural expert nurses, Madeline Leininger and Josepha Campinha-Bacote. One program utilised an integrated approach employing no specific model. One program utilised a free-standing two credit culture course within the curriculum, taught by nursing faculty with strong cultural preparation. Results indicate that these 212 graduating nursing students scored only in the culturally aware range, as measured by the IAPCC-R©, regardless of what program model they attended.

Comparison of two instructional modalities for nursing student CPR skill acquisition

AIMS The purpose of the study was to compare performance based measures of CPR skills (compressions, ventilations with bag-valve-mask (BVM), and single rescuer CPR) from two types of CPR courses: a computer-based course (HeartCode BLS) with voice advisory manikin (VAM) feedback and instructor-led (IL) training with traditional manikins. METHODS 604 nursing students from 10 schools of nursing throughout the United States were randomized by school to course type. After successful course completion, students performed 3min each of compressions; ventilations with BVM; and single rescuer CPR on a Laerdal Resusci Anne SkillReporter manikin. The primary outcome measures were: (1) compression rate, (2) percentage of compressions performed with adequate depth, (3) percentage of compressions performed with correct hand placement, (4) number of ventilations/min, and (5) percentage of ventilations with adequate volume. RESULTS There were no differences in compression rates between the two courses. However, students with HeartCode BLS with VAM training performed more compressions with adequate depth and correct hand placement and had more ventilations with adequate volume than students who had IL courses particularly when learning on hard molded manikins. During single rescuer CPR, students who had HeartCode BLS with VAM training had more compressions with adequate depth and ventilations with adequate volume than students with IL training. CONCLUSION Students who trained using HeartCode BLS and practiced with VAMs performed more compressions with adequate depth and ventilations with adequate volume than students who had IL courses. Results of this study provide evidence to support use of HeartCode BLS with VAM for training nursing students in CPR.

Cultural competency of graduating BSN nursing students.

ABSTRACT Providing culturally appropriate care is an essential nursing competency for new graduates. Multiple curricular approaches are being used to achieve this end. When measured by Campinha‐Bacotes Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals‐R®, graduating students (n = 515) from six different BSN programs scored, on average, in the culturally aware range. These results suggest that no one curricular approach is proving to be more effective than another in achieving essential cultural competency.

DELIBERATE PRACTICE of MOTOR SKILLS in Nursing Education: CPR AS EXEMPLAR

ABSTRACT Our study explored the effects of deliberate practice on the retention of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) psychomotor skills among nursing students. The practice sessions were short, six minutes a session one time a month. Differences in performance between students who had deliberate practice and a control group, with no practice beyond the initial training, were compared every three months for one year. The intervention group performed better than the control over the 12 months. There is a need in nursing education for deliberate practice of relevant and high‐use skills for students to improve their performance and gradually develop their expertise.

NCSBN Simulation Guidelines for Prelicensure Nursing Programs

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) published the results of the largest, most comprehensive study to date concerning the use of simulation as a substitute for traditional clinical experience. Results of the study, which were published in 2014, demonstrated that high-quality simulation experiences could be substituted for up to 50% of traditional clinical hours across the prelicensure nursing curriculum. An expert panel convened by NCSBN evaluated the data gathered through this study, examined previous research and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM, and used their collective knowledge to develop national simulation guidelines for prelicensure nursing programs. This article presents those guidelines, evidence to support the use of simulation, and information for faculty and program directors on preparation and planning for using simulation successfully in their nursing programs.

Reliability and Validity Testing of the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument for Use in the NCSBN National Simulation Study

AIM The Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (CCEI) was modified from an existing instrument, the Creighton Simulation Evaluation Instrument, for use in the National Council of States Boards of Nursing National Simulation Study (NCSBN NSS). BACKGROUND The CCEI was developed for the NCSBN NSS for use as the evaluation instrument for both simulation and traditional clinical experiences in associate and baccalaureate nursing programs. METHOD Five nursing programs assisted with reliability and validity testing of the CCEI. Using a standardized validation questionnaire, faculty rated the CCEI on its ability to accurately measure student performance and clinical competency. Videos scripted at three levels of performance were used to test reliability. RESULTS Content validity ranged from 3.78 to 3.89 on a four‐point Likert‐like scale. Cronbachs alpha was >.90 when used to score three different levels of simulation performance. CONCLUSION The CCEI is useful for evaluating both the simulation and traditional clinical environments.

HeartCodeTM BLS with Voice Assisted Manikin for Teaching Nursing Students: Preliminary Results

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of HeartCodeTM BLS, a self‐directed, computer‐based course for obtaining basic life support (BLS) certification. For part 2 of the course, students learned and practiced their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) psychomotor skills on a voice assisted manikin (VAM). Students from 10 schools of nursing were randomly assigned to two types of CPR training: HeartCode BLS with VAM or the standard, instructor‐led (IL) course with manikins that were not voice assisted; 264 students trained using HeartCode BLS and 339 had an IL course. When students passed their respective courses and were certified in BLS, their CPR skills were tested using the Laerdal PC SkillReportingtrade; System. Students who trained using HeartCode BLS and practiced their CPR skills on VAMs were significantly more accurate in their ventilations, compressions, and single‐rescuer CPR than students who had the standard, IL course with regular manikins.

Innovations in basic life support education for healthcare providers: improving competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation through self-directed learning.

Providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an essential competency for nurses. Nurse educators involved in staff development and continuing education spend numerous hours offering basic life support courses and conducting performance improvement activities such as mock codes. This study provides evidence that cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance skills using self-directed learning methods are as good as or, on a number of parameters, better than those achieved with a more resource- and time-intensive traditional approach.

Using a wiki in nursing education and research.

With a wiki, learners can share information, resources, and experiences, and work together as a group. A wiki is equally valuable to a nursing research team: it can be used to communicate information to team members; foster collaboration among the team; disseminate resources, forms, and other documents for conducting the research; and share experiences with study implementation. Potential uses of a wiki in nursing education and research are discussed in this paper. One teams use of a wiki in a large multisite nursing education study is reported.