Authors

  1. Basler, Jennifer PhD, RN, CNE

Article Content

Safety simulations assist students to practice identifying common safety hazards in a patient room. Students nearing graduation often lack confidence in their ability to quickly complete a survey of a patient room and prioritize their actions. In a busy patient room, it can be overwhelming. To address this, the same 3-minute safety simulation used in the first semester was retooled for use just prior to graduation (Supplemental Digital Content, Photograph, http://links.lww.com/NE/B30). Students are instructed to identify safety hazards, but before debriefing, they are asked to answer these questions: What did it feel like to walk into the room and have only 3 minutes to figure out what was wrong? Looking at the hazards you identified, did you gravitate toward the big picture, small details, or both? In the debrief, the faculty ask students to share their responses and discuss the differences in their experiences and approach. The second part of the debriefing focuses on using a standard process and repetition to hone their rapid assessment skills to categorize assessments and prioritize their actions. This retooling of a simulation activity used earlier in the program has led to rich student discussions. Student comments have included, "I didn't even think of how focusing on big or small things could make such a big difference," and "I feel that with practice, I will be able to use this to go into a room and quickly figure out what my patients need." The student feedback supports the continued use of this activity as they prepare for graduation.