Simulation Design: Engaging Large Groups of Nurse Practitioner Students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Education
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Limited literature exists on using human patient simulation for large-group nurse practitioner (NP) primary care management education.
• Traditional methods face challenges with faculty resources and scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative, game-show-based design for large-group simulated clinical experiences in NP education.
• To address challenges of limited faculty resources in simulation integration.

Main Methods:

• Developed a large-group simulation design using a game show format.
• Incorporated progressive variations: observer-participant groups, same-patient initial/follow-up visits, and mentor-mentee collaborations.

Main Results:

• Student feedback on simulated clinical experiences was consistently positive.
• Student comments informed program revisions to strengthen the simulation.

Conclusions:

• The novel large-group simulation design successfully enhanced NP students' primary care management skills.
• The described strategies offer a replicable or adaptable model for faculty facing similar educational challenges.