NCSBS guidelines underscore effectiveness of simulation-based practices in healthcare education

Guidelines released this month from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBS) emphasize the use of simulation in nursing training, and recommend certification to demonstrate that the lead faculty and simulation lab personnel are qualified.

The guidelines specifically cite the CHSE (Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator) as a suggested resource for simulation educators. The CHSE is one of several certifications offered by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), the leading professional association that advances the art, science and practice of healthcare simulation. Additional certifications offered by SSH include the CHSE-A (CHSE-Advanced), and the CHSOS (Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist).

"The guidelines issued this month underscore the effectiveness of simulation-based practices in healthcare education as they favorably compare with those that occur in the clinical setting," said Dr. Pamela Andreatta, President of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. "Importantly, the guidelines also emphasize the need for certification in simulation-based instruction to assure the inclusion of evidence-based best practices in the application of simulation techniques for clinical training."

Published in the Journal of Nursing Regulation, the guidelines cite a study demonstrating that high-quality simulation experiences could be substituted for up to 50% of traditional clinical hours across the pre-licensure nursing curriculum. They also cite several additional studies supporting the use of simulation in nursing training, including one that found that simulation improved the critical thinking, performance of skills, knowledge of the subject matter, and increased clinical reasoning in certain areas.

Members of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare served on an expert panel which developed the guidelines to assist boards of nursing (BONs) in assessing whether a nursing education program is ready to adopt simulation into its curriculum and substitute it for traditional clinical experience, and to direct nursing programs on the appropriate method for establishing and using simulation in the undergraduate curriculum.