NLN’s Nursing Education Perspectives - Scholarship on Simulation
Washington, DC, September 20, 2015 — “The evolution of clinical simulations in just over half a decade has been phenomenal, not only in nursing, but in all our health care professions,” writes Pamela Jeffries, PhD, RN, ANEF, in her guest editorial introducing the September/October edition (Vol. 36, No. 5) of Nursing Education Perspectives , the highly regarded peer-reviewed journal of the National League for Nursing. Dr. Jeffries, professor and dean of the School of Nursing at the George Washington University is a noted expert in simulation theory, design, and implementation. The September/October issue of NEP is the first of two issues on the current state of the science of clinical simulation, to be followed by November/December (Vol. 36, No. 6), both edited by Dr. Jeffries.
When NEP last focused on simulation, in 2009, the field was in an embryonic stage, Dr. Jeffries reminds readers. Today, simulation is considered an essential experiential teaching-learning intervention and used as a mechanism for testing and for facilitating inter-professional education and practice. What have evolved are high-quality simulations; innovations; and futuristic ideas about the use of clinical simulation in education and practice. The publication of robust research showcases evidence of best practices in the academy and clinic setting.
Among the leading articles to be found in both volumes is Dr. Katie Adamson’s systematic review of the NLN Jeffries Simulation Framework, which Dr. Jeffries developed more than a decade ago. The Adamson review and attendant input from Dr. Beth Rodgers, a theory development scholar, and other simulation researchers led the NLN, with input from the International Nurses Association of Clinical Simulation Learning (INACSL), to declare the NLN Jeffries simulation model a mid-range nursing theory. ( The NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory , provides a substantive account of the evolution of simulation in nursing education and research. It is available at the NLN Bookstore and available at the 2015 NLN Education Summit , September 30-October 2, in Las Vegas.)
Other significant contributors and innovative research featured in the forthcoming issues include:
 | Sittner et al., on the historical evaluation of INACSL standards for best practices in the design, conduct, and evaluation of simulation activities |
| | Reising et al., on psychometric testing of a rubric for measuring inter-professional communication |
| | Leighton et al., on psychometrics of an original simulation effectiveness tool they are using in the simulation community |
| | Forneris et al., on replication of findings of enhanced clinical reasoning scores, testing a method of structured reflective debriefing developed by Dreifuerst |
| | Rizzolo et al., on the feasibility of using high-fidelity simulations in the controlled environment of a simulation center, for high-stakes assessment of pre-licensure students |
| | Research Briefs and Innovations Center articles on simulations for specialty nursing areas, e.g., mental health and chronic care management |
| | Improving medication safety protocols through use of Google Glass |
Visit the NLN | Chamberlain Center for the Advancement of the Science of Nursing Education, which houses Nursing Education Perspectives, for more information about research at the National League for Nursing.
Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its more than 40,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations.