Simulating rapid response in undergraduate critical care education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Simulation
• Critical Care

Background:

• Undergraduate critical care courses require effective methods for teaching emergency response.
• Traditional methods may not fully prepare students for the complexities of rapid response situations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of high-fidelity patient simulators for undergraduate critical care emergency training.
• To enhance student recognition and intervention skills for physiologically deteriorating patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized high-fidelity patient simulators to create realistic emergency scenarios.
• Integrated core principles: nursing process, teamwork, communication, and delegation.
• Assigned students roles including primary nurse, nursing student, nurse associate, and observer.

Main Results:

• Students participated in 8-9 patient scenarios per semester.
• Scenarios provided insight into rapid response team dynamics and roles.
• Enhanced opportunities for practicing critical care interventions.

Conclusions:

• High-fidelity simulation is a valuable tool for undergraduate critical care education.
• Simulation effectively prepares nursing students for rapid response situations.
• The approach reinforces essential clinical decision-making and teamwork skills.