Increasing the Self-Confidence of School Nurses to Respond to Emergency Situations

School nurses have various degrees of experience responding to respiratory or cardiac emergencies, and most only receive Basic Life Support training every 2 years as required. The goal of the study was to assess school nurses' confidence and competence in emergency situations before and after engaging in emergency preparedness high-fidelity simulations.

This mixed methods study used a pre-/postsimulation survey design for a group of school nurses (N = 40) in the State of Hawaii. The pre- and postsimulation survey assessed professional demographics and measured confidence. After the presimulation survey, nurses participated in a 1-day training that included two separate emergency simulations using high-fidelity equipment. In addition, education was provided on the program's standardized emergency supply bags with equipment and their use during an emergency. The postsimulation survey was distributed 5 days after the educational intervention.

All confidence items significantly improved after the simulation session. Nurses noted the value of the training and hands-on simulation experience.

Simulation is a useful tool for increasing school nurses' confidence in responding to emergencies occurring on school campuses. [.