Baby Steps Program: Telehealth Nursing Simulation for Undergraduate Public Health Nursing Students

Background: Telehealth has become a staple form of healthcare delivery, yet training is lacking in nurs-ing curricula. The purpose of this study is to assess undergraduate nursing students' learning outcomes and experience with a novel telehealth simulation.Method: A descriptive, mixed-methods design was used with 59 undergraduate nursing students.Results: Based on the quantitative data, all of the students indicated that the simulation experience improved their knowledge about telehealth. Major categories emerging from the qualitative analysis were (a) importance of assessing home environment, (b) importance of therapeutic communication, (c) benefits of telehealth visits, (d) awareness of the challenges associated with telehealth encounters, (e) role of the telehealth nurse, and (f) importance of detailed assessment by asking questions.Conclusion: The telehealth simulation contributed to nursing students' clinical growth and should be integrated into nursing curricula.