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Simulators are increasingly being utilized at all levels of nursing education. This session will review the use of high-fidelity simulators at the School of Nursing, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. A simulator is anything functioning as something else in a realistic fashion. Our schema organizes student simulation experiences according to level of fidelity: low (or task focused), medium (or 2 dimensional computer generated) and high (computer operator controlled of a full body manikin).

High-fidelity simulators are manikins controlled by computer operators. Such simulators allow students to practice repetitive and or high-risk procedures under the supervision of clinical faculty. The use of high-fidelity simulators to educate students for the workplace environment is consistent with the IOM (2003) report “Keeping patients' safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses”.

While use of high-fidelity simulators is well integrated in the Nurse Anesthesia and the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs, the recent purchase of SimMan© (by Laerdal) now affords undergraduate students opportunities to also experience and learn via high-fidelity simulation. Scenarios include a teenage asthmatic, middle-age CHF and multiple complex critical and anesthesia focused patients. These proceed from simple to complex, dependent on education level. Faculty and student acceptance of simulations continues to be enthusiastic as students engage in these real-life situations. Video clips will be used to demonstrate these experiences.