Simulation in an Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum: Implementation and Impact Evaluation

Abstract

Although endorsed by nursing professional bodies and incorporated into undergraduate nursing curricula, high-fidelity simulation has undergone little evaluation at the program or curriculum levels. A comprehensive program evaluation of a Simulation Demonstration Project was undertaken to explore the influence of simulation across an undergraduate curriculum in a college of nursing. The focus of the evaluation was on program activities accomplished (implementation evaluation) and the extent to which program objectives and outcomes were met (impact evaluation). The Nursing Education Simulation Framework (NESF) was used to arrange multiple variables to be explored and to support the use of diverse simulation-related data sources. The framework was helpful in both guiding the evaluation and interpreting the results at the curriculum level from implementation and impact perspectives. Although continued use and testing of the NESF is warranted, findings from the study supported the utility of the NESF in program evaluation of simulation at the curriculum level.