Rising from the Rubble: A Capstone Simulation Integrating Leadership and Clinical Skills

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Disaster Preparedness Simulation

Background:

• Prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curricula require effective methods for teaching disaster preparedness.
• Traditional methods may not fully integrate clinical reasoning, leadership, and ethical considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel simulation approach for teaching disaster preparedness in a prelicensure BSN program.
• To assess the integration of assessment, prioritization, patient care, clinical reasoning, leadership, and ethics within the simulation.

Main Methods:

• A simulation scenario was developed involving live actors and equipment to represent 10 patients post-disaster.
• Students were assigned roles including nurse, triage nurse, and incident commander.
• Students were tasked with planning, prioritizing, and providing patient care.

Main Results:

• The simulation effectively engaged students in applying disaster preparedness principles.
• Students demonstrated the ability to triage patients and manage care in a simulated disaster setting.
• The approach provided a comprehensive learning experience across various clinical courses.

Conclusions:

• This simulation approach is a valuable tool for enhancing disaster preparedness education in prelicensure BSN programs.
• Integrating diverse patient conditions and leadership roles improves the realism and effectiveness of the training.
• The methodology successfully combines practical skills with essential leadership and ethical components.