The NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology is committed to helping nursing programs find ways to thoughtfully integrate simulation into the curriculum, prepare faculty in methodology and debriefing, and offer guidance for program support and sustainability. Working with the NLN's long-standing simulation partner, Laerdal Medical, the center has announced a unique initiative based on recommendations for schools of nursing disseminated in two documents from the NLN Vision Series: "Teaching With Simulation" and "Debriefing Across the Curriculum" (http://www.nln.org/about/position-statements/nln-living-documents). The Simulation Education Solutions for Nursing (SESN) initiative is designed to assist schools of nursing to enhance their curricula to respond to results of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) landmark study (http://www.ncsbn.org/685.htm) and the NCSBN's recently published simulation guidelines (http://www.journalofnursingregulation.com/article/S2155-8256(15)30783-3/pdf).
SESN is a service-focused program, with services grounded in NLN expertise in simulation design and debriefing, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standards of Best Practices (http://www.inacsl.org), and Society for Simulation in Health Care (SSIH) standards (http://www.ssih.org/Accreditation/Provisional-Accreditation/Standards). SESN goals are achieved through an assessment of current practice, recommendations built on the standards listed above, a roadmap for implementation of curriculum integration and faculty preparedness, and a model for sustainment accomplished through a series of regularly occurring Pulse Checks to keep the program on track.
An essential feature of the program is NLN-led workshops, where faculty and staff work in their own labs using their own resources. The workshops incorporate access to the NLN's Simulation Innovation Resource Center (SIRC; http://sirc.nln.org) online courses, which serve as a foundation for engaging in these immersive and experiential workshops. Following are brief descriptions of three SESN workshops.
Foundations in Simulation Pedagogy
Foundations in Simulation Pedagogy (Foundation) is designed as a one-day workshop for administrators, faculty, and the simulation team. Foundation sets the stage for faculty development and consulting services to be delivered over the course of a Success Solutions contract. The workshop helps create a shared vision across the organization and a common understanding of simulation-based training. A simulation philosophy, measurable goals, and team roles are developed and communicated.
Simulation Curriculum Integration
During this two-day workshop, NLN simulation educators will meet with faculty and/or simulation staff to a) discuss the target program of study for thoughtful simulation integration into an existing curriculum map; b) identify scenarios that can be mapped to course, lab, and/or clinical objectives based on goals and initiatives established for the program; and c) outline a staffing plan to meet the designed simulation program blueprint. This service will also address implementation strategies for simulation activities and evaluation methods. Simulation scenarios, vSims, and evaluation tools will be systematically linked to learning objectives for teaching knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Debriefing
This is a one-day evidence-based overview of debriefing methods for health care simulation. Learners will work in small groups and experience several short activities during the didactic portion of the course. The highly interactive nature of this course will require learners to collaborate and participate in skill-building activities. Learning will focus on quality of debriefing.
There is a new paradigm for the role of the nurse educator: facilitator of knowledge cocreation. The use of high quality simulation and debriefing methods is necessary if we are to enhance student learning and impact patient care outcomes. Nursing education has been called to transform curricula in an effort to guide students through contextual learning experiences and engage them in critical conversations, all essential in nursing education today.
Laerdal and the NLN are both in the business of saving lives, Laerdal through its business model and the NLN by supporting the nurse educators who prepare the next generation of caregivers. The NLN has been a driving force in the development of simulation as a core learning methodology for nurses, and we are proud to partner with Laerdal in this goal. Together, we are positioned to provide continuous support along the journey to high quality simulation. (For more information about SESN and NLN workshops, visit http://www.nln.org/centers-for-nursing-education/nln-center-for-innovation-in-si.)