Comparison Of Virtual Simulation To Clinical Practice For Prelicensure Nursing Students In Pediatrics

Background: The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic has required a transition from in-person clinical practice to virtual learning.Purpose: This study compares the standardized assessment test scores of prelicensure nursing students who completed their pediatric clinical practicum in person for both the clinical and simulation practice settings versus virtually.Methods: This study included 186 students in a pediatric clinical course. Half the students completed in-person pediatric clinical practice and simulation, and half the students used i-Human to complete their pediatric clinical practicum virtually. Scores on the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Nursing Care of Children examination were compared using independent-samples t tests.Results: There were no significant differences in ATI scores between students who completed their pediatric clinical practicum in the clinical setting compared with virtually (P = .485; 95% confidence interval, -2.24 to 4.71).Conclusions: Using the i-Human platform, along with prebriefing and debriefing, is an effective pedagogical approach to simulating a pediatric clinical practicum.