Abstract
Implementing high fidelity simulation (HFS) into undergraduate nursing courses allows faculty to evaluate the nursing student’s ability to provide safe care for a client in a realistic, controlled environment. Simulation is a learning strategy that fosters competency-based education (CBE). The CBE model focuses on competency attainment by utilizing learning strategies promoting nursing students’ development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to become a proficient novice nurse.
The simulation experience begins with a pre-briefing session where faculty provide information about the client, orient the nursing students to the HFS equipment, and reiterates that HFS is a safe learning environment. The unfolding HFS involves a client admitted with abdominal pain who proceeds to have a gastrointestinal bleed. After getting report, the simulation unfolds with nursing students assuming total nursing care of the client while being observed by faculty in the control room. As nursing students assess the client, they should identify abnormal subjective and objective data, cluster relevant data, and notify the provider of concerning findings. Next, the provider gives the nursing students a set of orders requiring prioritization and implementation. If the provider is not notified or interventions are not prioritized in a timely manner the client’s condition deteriorates. The unfolding nature of our HFS requires nursing students to implement continual assessment and collaboration with the provider, and evaluation of interventions while providing education for the client and family. Interventions for this client include safe medication administration, intravenous fluid regulation, and nasogastric tube insertion. The unfolding HFS is followed by a debriefing session focused on the nursing student’s ability to self-reflect on what happened, what went well, what could be improved, and how this unfolding HFS could be applied to other client scenarios.
Participation in this unfolding HFS promoted nursing students’ competence within the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) Essentials domain one, Knowledge for Nursing Practice, demonstrates compassionate care, effective communication, prioritization of care, and evaluation of outcomes (AACN, 2021; Lewis et.al., 2022). The nursing student outcomes validate this learning strategy as an exemplar of CBE and the application of knowledge regarding the care of clients with gastrointestinal bleeding.
Sigma Membership
Omicron Psi
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Simulation, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Nursing Education, Advances in Education, Competency-based Education, High Fidelity Simulation
Recommended Citation
Pierce, Amy N.; Thomas, Pamela K.; and Willis, Renee E., "Gastrointestinal Simulation: A Learning Strategy for Nursing Students" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 95.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/95
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
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
2025-11-26
Gastrointestinal Simulation: A Learning Strategy for Nursing Students
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Implementing high fidelity simulation (HFS) into undergraduate nursing courses allows faculty to evaluate the nursing student’s ability to provide safe care for a client in a realistic, controlled environment. Simulation is a learning strategy that fosters competency-based education (CBE). The CBE model focuses on competency attainment by utilizing learning strategies promoting nursing students’ development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to become a proficient novice nurse.
The simulation experience begins with a pre-briefing session where faculty provide information about the client, orient the nursing students to the HFS equipment, and reiterates that HFS is a safe learning environment. The unfolding HFS involves a client admitted with abdominal pain who proceeds to have a gastrointestinal bleed. After getting report, the simulation unfolds with nursing students assuming total nursing care of the client while being observed by faculty in the control room. As nursing students assess the client, they should identify abnormal subjective and objective data, cluster relevant data, and notify the provider of concerning findings. Next, the provider gives the nursing students a set of orders requiring prioritization and implementation. If the provider is not notified or interventions are not prioritized in a timely manner the client’s condition deteriorates. The unfolding nature of our HFS requires nursing students to implement continual assessment and collaboration with the provider, and evaluation of interventions while providing education for the client and family. Interventions for this client include safe medication administration, intravenous fluid regulation, and nasogastric tube insertion. The unfolding HFS is followed by a debriefing session focused on the nursing student’s ability to self-reflect on what happened, what went well, what could be improved, and how this unfolding HFS could be applied to other client scenarios.
Participation in this unfolding HFS promoted nursing students’ competence within the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) Essentials domain one, Knowledge for Nursing Practice, demonstrates compassionate care, effective communication, prioritization of care, and evaluation of outcomes (AACN, 2021; Lewis et.al., 2022). The nursing student outcomes validate this learning strategy as an exemplar of CBE and the application of knowledge regarding the care of clients with gastrointestinal bleeding.
Description
This unfolding high fidelity simulation (HFS) experience involves a client admitted with abdominal pain who proceeds to have a gastrointestinal bleed. Participation in this simulation promoted undergraduate nursing students’ competence within the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) Essentials domain one, Knowledge for Nursing Practice, demonstrates compassionate care, effective communication, prioritization of care, and evaluation of outcomes (AACN, 2021; Lewis et.al., 2022).