Any effective nursing curriculum is filled with relevant learning experiences. The Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) (2018) requires nursing curriculum to include planned clinical practice experiences that “enable students to integrate new knowledge and demonstrate attainment of program outcomes; foster interprofessional collaborative practice; and be evaluated by faculty” (p. 16). It can be difficult to arrange perioperative experiences given the unique nature of perioperative practice. Nonetheless, perioperative care is still an integral concept of nursing care. The incorporation of perioperative nursing and clinical experience in the operating room contributes to a well-rounded nursing education. Some essential concepts of basic nursing education were identified in the perioperative environment that are foundational to nursing practice such as asepsis, sterility, safety, infection control, patient mobility, teamwork, and communication (Tschirch, Leyden, Dufrene, & Land, 2017). Therefore, inclusion of perioperative nursing in nursing curricula proves to be beneficial for student learning. Many undergraduate nursing programs have problems integrating operating room experiences in their curriculum due to low resources or availability. This project sought to supplement student’s learning by creating a realistic perioperative simulation.
Methods:
Pre-simulation work was assigned to each student, depending on the role they were assigned. After an orientation to the simulation setting, the students “followed” a standardized patient through all three phases of the surgical process (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative). They enacted the different roles of perioperative nurses to enhance their understanding of perioperative care. As complications occurred, they needed to use their resources and critically think how to problem solve. A debrief was conducted after each of the surgical phases for reflection and to allow students enhance their learning through discussion.
Results:
The success of this project was measured through surveys of student satisfaction and self confidence in learning, attainment of learning objectives, and effectiveness of simulation design. Student feedback was extremely positive and students were able to meet all the same learning objectives as students who had an actual perioperative observation.
Conclusion:
Although there is limited research on teaching perioperative nursing through simulation, it appears that simulation is a viable option. Simulation as an alternative teaching strategy for perioperative content provided a safe environment for students to practice critical-thinking and decision-making through hands-on learning. If possible, a simulation such as this can improve education in any nursing program.