Advancing Clinical Skills for the Nurse Practitioner Student: A Screen-Based Simulation Approach.

Abstract

Background: Effective clinical documentation is essential to safe patient care, making early training critical for nurse practitioner (NP) students. This project implemented an innovative instructional approach using three Screen-Based Simulation (SBS) cases to introduce history-taking and documentation skills prior to students' first clinical rotation.

Method: A longitudinal single-cohort design was used, and students completed surveys at two points: immediately after completing the SBS cases and again following their initial clinical rotation.

Results: Quiz performance showed small improvements from post-SBS to post-clinical (d = 0.17, p = .348; matched d = 0.20, p = .415), with generally stable response patterns and slight increases in correct answers. Students also reported greater confidence and moderate perceived preparedness for history-taking and documentation after completing SBS activities.

Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that SBS is a valuable strategy for NP education, offering early exposure to essential assessment and documentation skills and helping build students' confidence before entering clinical practice.