Simulation-based education programme for upskilling non-critical care nurses for COVID-19 deployment.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Nursing
• Infectious Disease Preparedness

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems, necessitating rapid workforce adaptation.
• Clinical education faced risks of disease transmission and increased stress for learners.
• Simulation-based education (SBE) emerged as a viable strategy for upskilling nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of SBE for rapidly upskilling non-critical care nurses for critical care roles.
• To assess the feasibility and impact of SBE during a public health crisis.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 445 non-critical care nurses participated in SBE between March and May 2020.
• Training involved an online critical care module and hands-on simulation scenarios.
• A demonstration and return-demonstration approach was utilized.

Main Results:

• All 445 nurses completed the SBE program.
• The program was highly effective, with over 95% of evaluation items rated positively.
• Areas for improvement included training time, practice opportunities, and commitment to applying learned skills.

Conclusions:

• SBE proved effective for rapidly preparing nurses for critical care during the pandemic.
• Learners identified a need for extended training and practice to enhance competency.
• SBE holds significant potential for future crisis preparedness in healthcare education.