Nursing simulation labs replicate a clinical environment, allowing nursing students to safely practice care scenarios and hone skills before applying them to real patients during clinicals and professional practice. The labs in Marquette University’s Direct Entry MSN program are equipped with the latest nursing technology.
Healthcare and the nursing profession have grown increasingly complex. From the treatments patients receive and technologies used, to the services provided and the ways medical records are kept, nurses need to train to keep up with these developments.
Today’s nursing students graduate better prepared to make decisions and face high-pressure clinical situations, thanks in part to considerable advances in simulation technology and how it’s used in nursing school. What is simulation in nursing education, and how do programs like Marquette University’s Second Degree Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing best prepare their students? Let’s break down nursing labs and examine how they inform nursing education and practice.
Clinical Simulations Prepare You for Real-World Nursing Practice
Imagine you are evaluating a patient. Reviewing his chart, you see he has a history of heart failure and is on a daily fluid restriction, though he says he hasn’t been keeping track of his fluid intake today. He feels a bit clammy to the touch, but his vital signs appear stable, so you don’t think much of it. As you’re about to leave the room, however, you hear him cough and notice he is having a difficult time breathing while talking. Suddenly, you realize you forgot a key piece of the assessment. Upon listening to his lungs, you recognize the sound of crackles and immediately halt continuous fluids and call the physician. Your patient is experiencing the early signs of fluid overload.
A scenario such as this one could have easily turned fatal had his cough and breathing not caught your attention. Ultimately, you made the right decision; however, you initially missed some tell-tale signs that something was wrong.
As real as this situation sounds, it was a clinical simulation in a nursing lab, and the “patient” was a high-tech medical manikin. It illustrates how quickly a patient’s condition can change, as well as why it’s essential that you enter the hospital setting prepared to think critically and exercise sound clinical judgment. It also illustrates just how important a role simulation labs play in preparing students for the kinds of emergency situations nurses experience on a daily basis.
High-tech medical manikins have shifted the way nursing labs are taught. See other ways technology in nursing is transforming the field.
The Role of Clinical Simulation in Nursing School
As valuable as they are, clinical simulations are just one part of your nursing education. To understand how clinical simulation fits into nursing school as a whole, consider the three main components of Marquette University’s Direct Entry MSN program in Pleasant Prairie and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This accredited, second-degree program makes it possible for eligible students to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in 19 to 21 months through a combination of:
- Online coursework designed to teach you the fundamental theories behind nursing practice while allowing you to study wherever you prefer.
- Skills and simulation labs that provide you the opportunity to apply what you’re learning to hands-on practice at our state-of-the-art Pleasant Prairie learning site.
- Clinical rotations that let you experience firsthand what it’s like to work in real-life healthcare settings while under the close supervision of an experienced clinical instructor.
Learn more about how clinicals in nursing school work.
What’s the Difference Between Skills and Simulation Labs?
Though both labs are designed to give you the skills and confidence you need to succeed in the nursing profession, each plays a unique but complementary role in your education.
Skills lab is where you learn and practice essential nursing skills, such as checking vital signs, inserting catheters and IVs and conducting nursing evaluations.
Simulation lab takes the concept further, bridging the gap between skills labs and theory coursework and clinical rotations. Set in a lifelike healthcare environment, sim lab is where you apply your newly acquired skills and knowledge to mock nursing scenarios featuring high-tech, anatomically correct patient simulator manikins.
Three Benefits of Clinical Simulation in Nursing School
Simulation labs are a critical component of your nursing education, allowing you to:
- Become confident dealing with high-pressure situations.
- Learn from your mistakes in a safe, supportive environment.
- Gain experience with conditions you may not encounter during clinicals.
Nursing Simulation Labs: Before, During and After
There’s more to a simulation lab than simply participating in the simulation scenario itself. What you do before and after simulation lab is equally important, which is why it’s best to think of sim labs as consisting of three distinct steps: preparation, simulation and debrief.
Preparation
To get the most out of your clinical simulations in nursing school, it is essential that you show up prepared. Prior to attending a simulation lab, you’ll be given a list of patients that you may see. For example, one might have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma or another condition.
Complete any assigned readings, review your week’s coursework and research the patients’ conditions before showing up for simulation lab. If you show up unprepared, not only will you not make the most of this valuable learning experience, but it will also be obvious to your instructor and the other members of your cohort.
Simulation
As illustrated in our opening example, one thing you’ll quickly learn about simulation lab is that you don’t know what is going to happen, and that’s the point. Working in a hospital, a patient could be in stable condition one minute and coding the next. As a nurse, you must be ready to act on a moment’s notice, because things can change quickly. Simulation lab is the same way.
When you show up for simulation lab, you’ll be assigned to care for a “patient” exhibiting one or several of the conditions you were assigned. This could be with another student or solo. Meanwhile, your instructor will observe you through a two-way mirror, where he or she can control the simulator and even talk to you as the patient. This allows him or her to test your ability to critically assess the situation and respond to what is happening in real time.
Debrief
Just as important as participating in simulations are the debrief sessions that follow. Each simulation is filmed so that you and your cohort can review what went right, what went wrong and what could be improved upon. Just as a sports team will review footage after a game, nursing students can learn from their past performance in simulation labs.
Based on the Debriefing for Meaningful Learning (DML) model developed by Marquette faculty member Dr. Kristina Thomas Dreifuerst and used the world over, these sessions are where a significant portion of learning occurs. That’s because when you experience a scenario, you are in the moment as a nurse is. Reviewing it afterward and seeing your actions allows you to think more clearly about what you did and why, without the stress you may have experienced during the simulation itself.
Additionally, these sessions provide the opportunity to ask instructors follow-up questions and allow them to identify areas where you and your classmates may be struggling to grasp concepts. The result is that you enter clinicals better prepared and more confident in your abilities.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Marquette Nurse?
A career in nursing could be closer than you think with Marquette University’s Direct Entry MSN program in Pleasant Prairie and Milwaukee. Contact an admissions adviser today to learn more about nursing simulation labs and see how you can earn your MSN in a five-semester or eight-semester format.