Capstone Presentation

Editor's Notes

1. I am a relatively new RN. Received my license in July of 2012. Some of the concerns were my own. I am not starting to work as a preceptor for the nurse residency program and the problem has become more obvious. As a new nurse, I was fairly comfortable with patients and okay with families. I was concerned with how to communicate with doctors. I had years of experience in healthcare. New nursing residents have discussed a lot of these fears with me, so I wanted to look towards a solution.
2. High fidelity simulation has been regularly used to improve skills in undergraduate nursing education. I was interested in focusing on communication and critical thinking, in order to facilitate increased confidence in new graduate nurses.
3. These skills can all be improved through the use of high fidelity simulation
4. Some strengths of Mid to High-Fidelity Simulation are active involvement of students, effectiveness as a competency check, correction of errors can be discussed immediately, and it creates a standardized experience for all students. Some limitations of Mid to High-Fidelity Simulation include the time commitment of faculty, the need for faculty to design all aspects of simulation, the time to experience the simulation and reflect, faculty orientation to equipment, and expense for the facility.
5. Throughout undergraduate nursing, we expect to see advancement through the beginning stages. As educators, we want our students to feel confident and competent in their nursing practice upon graduation. Incorporating teaching strategies to improve confidence will be a beneficial addition to the undergraduate nursing curriculum.
6. Articles were reviewed for quality and narrowed to determine themes related to communication and confidence. Articles were omitted that focused on skill training only.
7. Students are safe to make mistakes without injury to a patient. The environment includes medical equipment and supplies to simulate the acute care environment. Confidence improves in this safe environment.
8. Students are able to practice their skill and work on their critical thinking skills during the simulation experience. Debriefing following is a vital part of the learning process. It allows students to see what they did well as well as areas for improvement.
9. This allows the student to value different members of the interdisciplinary team. Students are able to perform hand-off communication, receive orders from physicians, and contact others based on critical thinking techniques.