Using Simulation to Promote Professional Development of Clinical Instructors

Background: Clinical instructors play an important role in the education of nursing students. Nursing faculty must provide orientation and support for clinical instructors to ensure quality clinical experiences for students. Simulation can be used as a teaching strategy to prepare clinical instructors for clinical teaching. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of simulation to prepare clinical instructors in the role of teaching and increase confidence to provide clinical education to students. Method: Clinical instructors attended an orientation program that included simulation. During the simulation, nursing student volunteers role-played situations that required instructors to intervene for patient safety. Following the simulation, clinical instructors completed an online survey to measure confidence in teaching students. Results: Twenty-six clinical instructors participated in the simulation with student volunteers and completed the survey. Conclusion: Clinical instructors thought the simulation prepared them for clinical teaching, increased their confidence, and assisted them to provide student feedback.