Learning Objective #1: List and describe the differences among teaching pedagogies: simulation and traditional classroom lecture and discussion.

Learning Objective #2: State the steps in implementing simulation pedagogy into the nursing classroom.

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The purpose of this quasi-experimental research is to investigate the impact of a high fidelity simulation on knowledge and confidence levels among undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students within a Health Assessment course. Today's healthcare workers are surrounded with the ever-changing technology in addition to high patient acuities. The challenge for nurse educators is to prepare nursing graduates not only to perform clinical skills, but to be able to integrate theoretical knowledge into the clinical setting at a time when nurse educators are as few as the nurses on the patient care units. Clinical sites are becoming limited as the number of practicing nurses on hospital units decreases. Moreover, there is a growing shortage of nurse faculty. Due to the decrease in nurse educators and limited clinical placements in hospital settings, innovative teaching methodologies to teach clinical and assessment skills need to be integrated within nursing programs. The participants in this study will be first semester junior level nursing students from three baccalaureate level Health Assessment classes. Two classes of approximately 20 students each will be exposed to simulation- an actor (standardized patient) or a high fidelity simulator while the third group will experience a traditional classroom and lab -not simulation. A pre and post test was designed to measure knowledge learned and a survey instrument was used to measure student confidence levels after the learning experience. It is expected that results will impact the development and integration of innovative teaching modalities for nurse educators