Enhancing the pediatric undergraduate nursing curriculum through simulation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Pediatric Nursing
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Pediatric nursing programs face challenges with insufficient clinical placement opportunities for students.
• Securing diverse clinical experiences within limited timeframes is difficult for nursing students.
• Unpredictable clinical environments can lead to missed learning opportunities, impacting student preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a pediatric simulation curriculum for nursing students.
• To enhance student preparedness and broaden clinical experiences despite limited traditional placements.
• To mitigate the impact of unpredictable clinical settings on student learning.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a pediatric simulation curriculum integrated into the clinical rotation.
• Utilizing simulation to provide controlled, yet realistic, clinical scenarios.
• Assessing student preparedness and the breadth of clinical experience gained.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated improved preparedness at the start of their clinical experience.
• The simulation curriculum successfully broadened the scope of clinical experiences.
• Simulation provided a valuable learning platform within limited time.

Conclusions:

• A pediatric simulation curriculum effectively addresses challenges in clinical placement availability.
• Simulation enhances nursing students' readiness and expands their clinical skill acquisition.
• This approach optimizes learning experiences in pediatric nursing education.