Developing Skills Labs for Obstetric and Pediatric Nursing Students

Specialty areas of nursing, for example, obstetrics and pediatrics, require a unique set of skills and specialized care. Nursing students often enter these areas for their clinical rotations having had little didactic classroom education. For faculty, it is challenging to prepare students to enter the clinical setting feeling competent, confident, and with the critical thinking skills required for an optimal experience. This article reports on a process to develop a skills lab with both skills and simulation components designed specifically to prepare students to enter the clinical setting with greater competence, confidence, and critical thinking.