Setting, Design, and Method: A Likert scale evaluation was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the patient simulation training component of a residency program in a 500 bed acute care hospital.

Concept Targeted: Different patient simulation trainings were developed for new graduate, transfer, and re-entry nurses in order to match the individualized learning needs of these three groups. Topics available to all groups included dealing with airway obstruction, chest pain, acute blood loss, problematic MD/RN communication, management of hypotension, and communicating with patients who speak another language. All simulations were designed to portray high-risk clinical situations requiring rapid intervention.

Findings: Allowing mentees and mentors to select relevant content made scheduling of patient simulation activities more difficult but increased the relevance of the training. Offering different simulation training sessions for new graduate, transfer, and re-entry nurses was effective. The flexibility possible in programming a simulator to respond to varied levels of patient complexity and the effectiveness of clinical interventions maintained nurses' interest throughout the training.

Conclusions: Videotaping of patient simulation activities allowed for effective debriefing and promoted learning. Maintaining small class sizes promoted active participation in simulation activities. High-risk patient simulation activities developed crisis management skills, allowed for skill practice without patient harm, and eased the transition into clinical practice for novice nurses.

Implications: Patient simulation training activities have an added benefit of introducing novice nurses from a variety of units to new hires from other units within the hospital. The additional support provided to these nurses who participated in multi-unit training along with a cohort of others who were hired at the same time is a model that should be researched in additional settings.