Creating and Implementing Pediatric Simulation Experiences for Licensed Practical Nursing Students

The phenomenon of decreasing opportunities for hands-on clinical experiences for undergraduate nursing students, especially in the field of pediatrics, has led academic administrators to focus on nontraditional alternatives. Over the past decade, faculty members have been engaged in the use of simulation environments that include manikins and standardized patients to provide students with enhanced learning opportunities. Simulated experiences can be used to fulfill clinical course learning objectives and can also be used as a method of evaluating students' clinical competence. As part of a Pennsylvania Workforce grant, a simulation workshop that focused on pediatric assessment, therapeutic communication, physical exam, and medication calculation and administration was designed and implemented for licensed practical nursing students. Evaluation methods of the workshop included written student evaluations, verbal faculty responses, and verbal responses from the human standardized patients, all of which were extremely positive. This pilot project contributes to the growing body of knowledge about simulation's ability to enhance nursing clinical experiences.