ENHANCING SIMULATION EDUCATION: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, GROWTH, AND EDUCATION OF NURSES TRANSITIONING INTO THE CRITICAL CARE SETTING

The extensive knowledge base that critical care nurses have incorporated emphasizes the importance of structured training programs to facilitate a supportive educational environment before transitioning into the ICU. Adapting to a fast-paced ICU can feel very overwhelming for new graduates and experienced nurses with no ICU training. ICU training programs have been shown to promote safe clinical skills, enhance quality of care, and increase retention among nurses (McKillop et al., 2016). The purpose of this project was to improve the current nurse transition education curriculum at Kaiser Permanente, a large American Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) healthcare system; and determine the value of alternative education modalities and whether standardization and replication of this educational offering is warranted for dissemination to other institutions. The specific aims include the following: a) Identify innovative, evidence-based adult learning modalities, b) Update the current ICU training program, c) Evaluate the effectiveness of program via pre and post-tests. Several innovative learning methodologies identified include task training, role playing with actors, and the use of escape rooms. Pre and post questionnaire feedback surveys were developed to assess efficacy of developed learning modules on these three innovative teaching methods. In addition, focus groups were conducted to provide anonymous feedback on the evaluation questionnaires. Extenuating circumstances involving the global pandemic prompted changes in the project timeline and thus implementation of the project is not possible at this time.  Although the team was unable to fully implement all learning modules within the curriculum, the didactic PowerPoint presentations and critical case scenarios developed by the team will create a strong foundation for future participants in this course.