Increasing faculty capacity: findings from an evaluation of simulation clinical teaching

To compare how the use of different "doses" of simulation in undergraduate clinical teaching affect faculty capacity.

Since 2008, the NYU College of Nursing has used a "high dose" of simulation to substitute for 50 percent of the clinical hours in core medical-surgical courses to address a shortage of faculty and clinical sites. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing has used limited, "low-dose" simulation hours to supplement clinical hours.

The evaluation included program data and surveys and qualitative interviews with faculty and students in each program.

Implementing "high-dose" clinical simulation resulted in a nearly 50 percent increase in faculty capacity at NYU, expanding undergraduate enrollment from 613 students in 2007 to 900 in 2012, with no negative impacts on faculty work life or student outcomes.

Substituting simulation for traditional clinical hours can be a sustainable and educationally sound option to increase faculty capacity.