Other Titles
Tradition to Transformation: Hybrid Clinical Education for the Future Nurse [Poster Title]
Abstract
Background: The clinical practicum in the final semester of pre-licensure programs is a hallmark experience in nursing education, bridging academia and professional practice by providing students with immersive, hands-on experiences. Such experiences foster the development of essential competencies--e.g., clinical reasoning, communication, professionalism, collaboration, & leadership. Capstone experiences lead to the application of theory to practice under precepted experiences.
Preceptorships during the final practicum assist with the transition from student to novice nurse by enhancing readiness for independent practice in a psychologically safe environment. According to the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (AACN), clinical learning experiences must align with anticipated responsibilities and facilitate achievement of course specific and end-of-program learning outcomes. Such experiences are imperative for the translation of knowledge into practice, cultivation of confidence, development of a professional identity, and transition to autonomous practice among nursing students.
Methods: A hybrid model was used, consisting of in-person clinical rotations, high fidelity simulations, and synchronous remote briefing sessions. Over 600 students participated in a 12-week practicum, alternating between six weeks of in-person and simulated clinical experiences. Evaluation metrics included NCLEX pass rates and the self-assessment of readiness to practice gleaned by post-graduation surveys.
Results: Participating students completed >120 hours of in person clinical experiences, 25 hours of simulated experiences, and 105 combined hours of virtual learning and simulation. NCLEX pass rates remained above the national average, increasing by 0.87% from 2019 to 2021. Post graduation evaluations manifested an improvement in self-perceived clinical competency.
Conclusion: The hybrid model aligns with clinical education standards. It enhanced career readiness and added to competency, while affording nursing with an innovative method to address the reduction in clinical sites and experienced nurse preceptors. The integration of simulation and in-person clinical experiences can be transferred to postgraduate and certificate programs in nursing as well. The opportunities are endless as long as the field of nursing expands its concept of clinical practice.
Notes
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf
Ankers, M. D., Barton, C. A., & Parry, Y. K. (2018). A phenomenological exploration of graduate nurse transition to professional practice within a transition to practice program. Collegian, 25(3), 319–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2017.09.002
.
Baptiste, D. L., Whalen, M., & Goodwin, M. (2022). Approaches for establishing and sustaining clinical academic partnerships: A discursive review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 31(3–4), 329–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15830
Hayden, J. K., Smiley, R. A., Alexander, M., Kardong-Edgren, S., & Jeffries, P. R. (2014). The NCSBN national simulation study: A longitudinal, randomized, controlled study replacing clinical hours with simulation in prelicensure nursing education. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 5(2), S1–S64. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(15)30062-4
Rosli, N. A., Choo, T. Y., & Idris, D. R. (2022). Impact of preceptorship models for undergraduate nursing students and its implementation: Systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Education, 14(1), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijone.v14i1.17391
Sigma Membership
Gamma Omicron at-Large
Lead Author Affiliation
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Simulation, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Competence, Clinical Competence, Student Experiences, Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Chinnis, Simone; Akomah, Janelle; Capello, Angela; and Baptiste, Diana-Lyn, "From Tradition to Transformation: Hybrid Clinical Experiences" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 23.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/23
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-24
From Tradition to Transformation: Hybrid Clinical Experiences
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: The clinical practicum in the final semester of pre-licensure programs is a hallmark experience in nursing education, bridging academia and professional practice by providing students with immersive, hands-on experiences. Such experiences foster the development of essential competencies--e.g., clinical reasoning, communication, professionalism, collaboration, & leadership. Capstone experiences lead to the application of theory to practice under precepted experiences.
Preceptorships during the final practicum assist with the transition from student to novice nurse by enhancing readiness for independent practice in a psychologically safe environment. According to the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (AACN), clinical learning experiences must align with anticipated responsibilities and facilitate achievement of course specific and end-of-program learning outcomes. Such experiences are imperative for the translation of knowledge into practice, cultivation of confidence, development of a professional identity, and transition to autonomous practice among nursing students.
Methods: A hybrid model was used, consisting of in-person clinical rotations, high fidelity simulations, and synchronous remote briefing sessions. Over 600 students participated in a 12-week practicum, alternating between six weeks of in-person and simulated clinical experiences. Evaluation metrics included NCLEX pass rates and the self-assessment of readiness to practice gleaned by post-graduation surveys.
Results: Participating students completed >120 hours of in person clinical experiences, 25 hours of simulated experiences, and 105 combined hours of virtual learning and simulation. NCLEX pass rates remained above the national average, increasing by 0.87% from 2019 to 2021. Post graduation evaluations manifested an improvement in self-perceived clinical competency.
Conclusion: The hybrid model aligns with clinical education standards. It enhanced career readiness and added to competency, while affording nursing with an innovative method to address the reduction in clinical sites and experienced nurse preceptors. The integration of simulation and in-person clinical experiences can be transferred to postgraduate and certificate programs in nursing as well. The opportunities are endless as long as the field of nursing expands its concept of clinical practice.
Description
This quality improvement project was developed to establish clinical opportunities for pre-licensure nursing students during a time when the availability of in-person clinical opportunities was limited. Finding support that the combination of hybrid in-person, virtual, and simulated clinical experiences for pre-licensed nursing students does elicit success as manifested in the form of an increase in NCLEX passing rate and students' perception of readiness for practice.