Enhancing Trifocal Leadership Practices Using Simulation in a Pediatric Charge Nurse Orientation Program.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Charge nurses require specialized leadership and clinical skills to manage complex patient care and teams.
• Traditional orientation programs may not fully prepare charge nurses for all aspects of their role.
• A need exists to enhance charge nurse preparedness through innovative educational strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced charge nurse orientation program incorporating simulation.
• To assess the impact of simulation on charge nurses' understanding of leadership practices and complex patient management.
• To explore charge nurses' perceptions of simulation as an experiential learning tool for leadership development.

Main Methods:

• A pilot quality improvement project involving 20 staff nurses in an enhanced charge nurse orientation program.
• Inclusion of a simulation scenario focused on caring for a deteriorating infant, addressing interactions with patients, parents, and staff.
• Qualitative thematic analysis of nurses' reflective data following the simulation experience.

Main Results:

• Thematic analysis revealed enhanced understanding in managing complex patients, code situations, and teams.
• Nurses demonstrated improved skills in guiding novice nurses and applying clinical and critical thinking.
• All participants reported that the simulation experience facilitated the achievement of their leadership goals.

Conclusions:

• Simulation is an effective experiential learning tool for enhancing charge nurse leadership skills.
• The enhanced orientation program successfully improved charge nurses' preparedness for managing complex care scenarios and team leadership.
• Simulation-based education should be considered for charge nurse development to improve patient care and team dynamics.