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Preparing Neonatal Nurses for Improved Performance, Professional Development, and National Certification Through Simulation

Background: Code and emergent situations require skilled nursing response wherever they occur. Nurse preparation for code response is an ongoing need in nursing education. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, Texas, has a team of 3 nurse educators. These educators determined the need for increased nurse confidence, skill, and response in code and emergent situations within the NICU. The education team also recognized the need to increase nurse involvement in professional development activities and preparation for the national certification examination. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe how a NICU education team, in a level III NICU, trained nurses using simulated scenarios to improve nursing knowledge for national certification, skill, and confidence in code situations and to provide ongoing professional development opportunities within a controlled learning environment. Methods: The intervention designed to meet these specific goals for the NICU was the creation of a simulation team (called the “Drill Team”) to facilitate simulated activities created by the NICU education team. This simulation strategy was found to have multiple advantages for content delivery, as multiple learning styles can be incorporated into the simulated activities. Findings: Nurses demonstrated improved performance, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge retention after the Drill Team project. Nursing confidence in code performance also increased using this intervention. Implications for Practice: This educational intervention can be replicated and utilized in nursing education for all specialties. Implications for Research: Further research could be conducted to determine the effectiveness of simulated activities and national certification pass rates.