Through the lens of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) new Essentials: Integration of human trafficking education and simulation within baccalaureate nursing curricula

With an increase in human trafficking in the United States, there is a need for nursing curricula to provide education and engagement in recognizing and appropriately caring for victims. The purpose of this article is to describe an undergraduate nursing simulation involving a human trafficking victim with a discussion of how the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) Essentials were addressed by the simulation. The results of the course evaluation indicated that providing an opportunity for baccalaureate nursing students to engage in a simulation involving a victim of human trafficking allowed them to solidify classroom theory and education. Students reported increased confidence in recognizing victims after participating in the education and simula-tion. In addition, the simulation met many of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's new Essentials further highlighting the importance of this clinical activity within the nursing curriculum. Nursing education is obligated to empower students to identify social determinants of health and advocate for social justice related to vulnerable populations. Because nurses are the largest group of healthcare providers, they are likely to encounter human trafficking victims and should be educated to identify victims in practice.