Using Mid-Fidelity Simulation and Peer Teaching to Educate First-Semester Nursing Students to Accurately Complete a...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Inadequate nurse hand-off communication is a significant cause of medical errors.
• Effective communication during patient shift changes is vital for continuity of care.
• Early assessment of clinical skills in nursing students is essential for future practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the ability of first-semester nursing students to perform accurate shift assessments.
• To assess nursing students' competence in communicating assessment findings effectively.
• To identify students' capacity to recognize and report abnormal patient findings.

Main Methods:

• Graduate assistants observed and evaluated first-semester nursing students.
• Assessment focused on accuracy of shift assessment completion.
• Evaluation included reporting of findings and identification of abnormalities; satisfaction and confidence data were collected.

Main Results:

• Students were evaluated on their accuracy in completing shift assessments.
• The study assessed students' ability to report findings and identify abnormal results.
• Data on student satisfaction and self-confidence were gathered during the assessment.

Conclusions:

• The study assessed foundational clinical skills in novice nursing students.
• Findings provide insights into the preparedness of first-semester students for clinical communication.
• This evaluation method can inform curriculum development for improving nursing hand-off communication.