Nursing Skills Simulation: What you Need to Know?

“The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.”
– Florence Nightingale

Sending newly qualified nurses out into the real world to deal with patients and unexpected situations as they present themselves can manufacture inconvenience and risk that can be avoided. All skills take time and practice, but trial-and-error- is dangerous and unsuitable to a real clinical setting. Simulation is an extremely powerful tool to prepare these learners for the demands of a real hospital environment.

Nursing Skills Lab Setup

A nursing skills lab will be a safe, controlled environment equipped with full-body manikins, task trainers (lifelike anatomy models that help learners practice a skill by breaking down a task into smaller, simpler actions and allowing repeated practice), and other hospital equipment. This is a realistic platform for students to learn without the risk of harming or discomforting a patient. In a nursing skills lab, mistakes are opportunities to learn.

Some activities that are part of a nursing skills lab:

  • Blood Pressure Monitoring
  • Catheterization
  • Wound Care
  • Intramuscular Injections
  • Oxygenation Therapy
  • Head-to-toe Assessment
  • Tracheostomy Care

Nursing Skills Simulation

The purpose of nursing skills simulation is to prepare aspiring nurses to communicate, motivate, delegate, prioritize, make quick decisions, and respond to change in a real-life situation. It serves to acclimatize nursing students to the real-life clinical environment and gives them an idea of what to expect, developing confidence and acumen.

Simulation can be an excellent strategy to prepare learners to think on their feet, hone their management skills, and learn to make real-time patient care decisions before transitioning into the real world as qualified nurses. This is a safe environment to assess how they respond to unexpected events and whether they succumb or thrive under pressure. It can be a rich learning experience for aspiring student nurses. Nursing skills simulation is a great way to allow nursing students to experience dealing with patients first-hand in a controlled environment while allowing them to explore how to deal with errors.

Performing nursing skills simulation in skill lab by SEM Trainers & Systems

Roles & Scenarios in a Nursing Skills Lab

Learners may be assigned roles and placed in diverse scenarios making use of predetermined events. Some roles that may be assigned include:

  • A patient with a mental and/or physical health issue (or a manikin may be used as a patient)
  • A staff nurse tending to three patients, subordinates, and students
  • A healthcare assistant
  • A student performing a placement
  • An angry relative
  • A manager telling ward staff of a change of events
  • A doctor or a relative calling the ward

Once the roles are assigned, learners may be placed in scenarios that realistically model challenges likely to be faced by newly qualified nurses. Some of these are:

  • A patient suffering a cardiac arrest in presence of other patients.
  • Incorrect medication has been administered because of a wrong prescription.
  • An angry relative rambling on and distracting the nurse.
  • A demanding patient.
  • A person calling the ward to complain at a busy time.

Benefits of a Simulation Environment

The use of simulation in nursing furnishes a plethora of benefits to the learner:

  • Knowledge
  • Technical skills
  • Attitude
  • Motivation and satisfaction
  • Self-confidence
  • Reflection
  • Leadership
  • Efficiency and effectiveness
  • Patient safety

Nursing Skills Simulation: How it Works

Simulation is performed in three steps – planning, implementation, and evaluation.

1. Planning a Simulation

This involves developing realistic scenarios, writing scripts, and preparing the environment. This is done keeping in mind the learning objectives and the availability of realistic materials.

2. Implementing a Scenario

With the required material and decided objectives, students may be briefed at the venue. In this way, this step involves:

  • Briefing: Familiarizing students with the setting
  • Action: Conducting the scenario in 10-15 minutes
  • Debriefing: Reflecting on the simulation with positive reinforcement and analysis

3. Evaluating a Simulation

Finally, the students’ performance is assessed via formative and summative evaluations.

Simulators from SEM Trainers

If you’re looking to purchase medical simulators for the purpose of nursing skills training, SEM Trainers has premium-quality simulation products sourced from Germany, USA, Japan, and Europe.

  • GERiâ„¢ Complete Nursing Skills Manikin
  • KERiâ„¢ Complete Nursing Skills Manikin
  • Nurse Training Baby, New Born
  • 3B Scientific® Patient Care Training Manikin PRO Models | Advanced Nursing Skills Development Manikins
  • Complete CRiSisâ„¢ Resuscitation Training System with Advanced Airway Management
  • Simulated Patient Monitor with Debriefing & CPR Feedback – REALITi Pro
  • Deluxe Infant Crisis Manikin
  • STAT Baby Advanced
  • Chest Drain Simulator
  • Hemorrhage Control Arm Trainer P102
  • NG Tube & Trach Skills Simulator
  • Pericardiocentesis Simulator
  • Patient Education Tracheostomy Care Set
  • Pneumothorax Training Manikin
  • Truman Trauma-X | Trauma Manikin
  • Adult Deluxe Airway Management Trainer
  • Advanced Infant Intubation Head with Board
  • Child Intubation Head
  • AED Trainer Plus 2
  • Basic Life Support Simulator
  • CPR
  • CPR-Torso Bradâ„¢Junior with Electronics, 7-year old
  • Baby Sani CPR Manikin
  • Auscultation Trainer and Smartscopeâ„¢
  • Adult Auscultation Trainer with SimScope Wi-Fi Training Stethoscope
  • Blood Pressure Simulator
  • Catheterization Simulator Set BASIC
  • Epidural and Spinal Injection Trainer
  • Advanced Venipuncture and Injection Arm
  • Complete Intramuscular Injection Training Kit
  • I.v. Injection Arm P50/1
  • Newborn Intraosseous Infusion and Injection Leg
  • Advanced Patient Care Male Prostate Simulator
  • Episiotomy and Suturing Trainer
  • Suture Kit
  • Surgery Trainer
  • Suture Practice Arm
  • Trainer for Wound Care and Bandaging Techniques

Simulation has been shown to provide positive learning experiences for aspiring nursing students and improve their acumen and skills. It makes learners capable and contributes to patient safety across the world. Are you taking advantage of all the possibilities nursing skills simulation has to offer?

Contact SEM Trainers & Systems for All your Simulation Needs to get a Customised Solution:

Drop a mail – sem@semtrainers.com or

Make a call – +91 8849563724

Sem Trainers & Systems