Description/Overview: This symposium provides a rich description of the ways in which simulation can be understood and applied to solve challenges in clinical education. These presentations are the results of work that was done in a nursing program in the Midwest. The authors of the presentations are all faculty at the University in the Nursing Department and have worked together for three years to understand, develop, and integrate high fidelity clinical simulation with sophomore nursing students. This symposium provides participants with the ways simulation can be applied in education to evaluate learning and solidify nursing knowledge. The symposium will start with a presentation that will describe the results of a qualitative study that was done to understand the emotional experiences of students participating in a video-recorded simulation and their perceptions of learning. This study was done to ensure that the authors had a better understanding of the student’s simulation experience. The second presentation discusses a pilot project that was initiated to determine if simulations could be designed to provide students with an experience of what every day nursing care was like rather than one where they expected a patient problem to arise which had been the previous practice. It was hoped that during this time, the students would have an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in providing patient-centered care, work in collaboration with others, apply evidence-based practice and communicate their care using information technology. The third and final presentation discusses the development of a tool that educators can use to measure QSEN competencies during simulation experiences. Participants will be provided with an example of the rubric. After the presentations, participants will be provided an opportunity to pose questions to elicit and stimulate discussions.

Learner Objective #1: Synthesize the ways in which simulation can be used to improve faculty understanding of the student and assess their ability to provide safe patient care.

Learner Objective #2: Understand the processes involved in developing an instrument to measure QSEN clinical behaviors.