Innovative End-of-Life Simulation: Educating Nursing Students to Care for Patients During Transition

Background: Historically, nursing students have not been adequately prepared to provide end-of-life (EOL) care. The faculty of a university in the northwest recognized the curriculum was deficient in EOL content. In response to this deficit, the simulation team developed an evidenced-based EOL simulation in accordance to INASCL Standards of Best PracticeSM. Methods: The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium undergraduate curriculum includes six mod-ules presenting content considered essential to prepare students for EOL care. Students complete the modules in preparation for the simulation. The simulation begins with prebriefing and orientation to the simulation space. Immediately after the simulation, students participate in a debriefing session to process their thoughts and feelings about the experience. Students submit a reflection after they have had time to further explore the impact of the simulation, both personally and professionally. Results: Student reflections indicated an increase in knowledge of their role in EOL care and the importance of creating a calm environment for the patient and family. Participants reported the profound impact of the simulation and the opportunity to experience emotions evoked by the simulation in a safe setting. Students reported both the presence of a "family member"and performing postmortem care contributed to the reality of the simulation. Conclusion(s): Based on the reflections and feedback received from students after they experience the death of a patient for the first time as a nurse, the simulation played a significant part in preparing them for EOL care. (C) 2020 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.