Simulation Training Improves Resuscitation Team Leadership Skills of Nurse Practitioners

In the current era of limited physician trainee work hours, limited nurse practitioner orientation times, and highly specialized care settings, frontline providers have limited opportunities for mentored resuscitation training in emergency situations. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot program to improve resuscitation team leadership skills of nurse practitioners using simulation-based training.

Seven nurse practitioners underwent a 4-hour simulation course in pediatric cardiac emergencies. Pre- and post-course surveys were conducted to evaluate previous emergency leadership experience and self-reported comfort in the team lead role. The time to verbalization of a shared mental model to the team was tracked during the simulations.

The increases in self-reported comfort level in team leading, sharing a mental model, and differential diagnosis were statistically significant. Average time to shared mental model significantly decreased between simulations.

Simulation can improve code leadership skills of nurse practitioners. These preliminary findings require confirmation in larger studies.