Tamera Pearson
Western Carolina University, USA
Title: Confirming nurse practitioner student competence with simulated clinical exams
Biography
Biography: Tamera Pearson
Abstract
Utilizing simulation to assess nurse practitioner student’s clinical competency ensures an opportunity to validate specific knowledge and advanced practice skills. This presentation will provide an overview of the development of low-fidelity simulation scenarios for clinical competency examinations. Such exams are scheduled throughout the curriculum to allow intermittent observation of student performance and ensure achievement of specific skills and to contribute to the cumulative evaluation of clinical competence. Simulated clinical competency exams also serve as summative evaluation to assess student outcomes toward the end of a various clinical courses. To effectively implement clinical competency exams within a nurse practitioner program clear processes and policies are needed to provide guidance for both faculty and students. Specific topics for simulation scenarios can be identified and mapped across the clinical courses to ensure that a variety of clinical issues are represented while avoiding duplication. Components and examples of simulations scenarios for specific patient populations (adult, pediatric, geriatric) will be presented along with the grading rubric used to evaluate clinical competency.