Clinical Simulation as an Instructional Strategy for Animating the Clinical Nurse Framework

The Clincal Nurse Leader (CNL) roles include both the management of clinical outcomes and management of the clinical environment. In a program in which students learn the CNL roles as a Master's Entry Option program, both the bedside and the systems roles must be mastered. This article describes how simulation can animate the curriculum by challenging students at both the bedside and microsystem level in a pediatric setting. Fourteen MEO/CNL students were exposed to two clinical days of simulated experience in both well assessment and emergency-response case-based scenarios. Results of a post-experience survey revealed high rates of agreement on the constructs measured. Another cohort of eight MEO/CNL students were assigned to observe and report on the systems-level issues of two cohorts of junior-level baccalaureate students who were engaged in pediatric simulations. Simulation can be used to animate both the bedside and system level roles expected of the Clincal Nurse Leader.