A Simulated Perioperative Clinical Day for Prelicensure Nursing Students

The inclusion of perioperative clinical learning experiences in prelicensure nursing education reinforces foundational nursing skills. However, perioperative experiences in clinical settings are not consistently available for student learning.

An unfolding perioperative simulation day was created as an alternate to traditional clinical learning. Three simulation-based experiences were designed to include nursing care of the patient during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of the perioperative experience.

Implementation of a perioperative simulation as an alternative to traditional clinical learning in one prelicensure program had positive effects on students' ability to achieve learning outcomes, to collaborate, and to improve self-confidence.

A simulated perioperative clinical day provides an engaging learning experience, reinforcing foundational clinical skills such as patient safety, infection control, patient mobility, teamwork, and communication. [.