Expanding primary care opportunities: simulation for clinical reasoning

Many nurse practitioner specialties are requiring that basic primary care be included in their curricula. However, some experienced faculty within the specialty lack primary care experience. With a national shortage of nursing faculty, it is more important than ever to maximize available resources without overtaxing faculty workloads. Revision of our primary care practicum allowed nurse-midwifery faculty to lead a primary care clinical conference, using Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) faculty as primary care experts. We revamped the clinical conference time to simulate clinical visits to guide the students through the clinical reasoning process. Low-fidelity simulation allowed students time to take a systematic approach to patient assessment, planning, and charting. The FNP "experts" were used to critique student chart notes prior to grading. This collaborative approach to the primary care clinical conference was well received by students, faculty, and preceptors and was quick and inexpensive to implement.