Pros & Cons of Clinical Simulation in Nursing

Code Blue situations are one of the most frightening things a nurse can experience. This is when the patient's heart has stopped and all present are working to revive him. A first Code Blue is an experience a nurse will never forget. There is often no practical way to prepare for it, but with the advent of high-fidelity simulation aids, nursing education is trying to improve the situation. However, as with all new technology, there are some definite pros and cons to using this wave of the future.

Clinical Simulation Today

• A clinical simulation today is a high-tech event. Very expensive, high-tech mannequins are controlled by educators to deliver physiologically appropriate responses to nursing students' interventions. There are even cases now of more advanced, computer-driven routines that operate independently of an educator and take a student through an entire patient encounter. These machines operate on known algorithms programmed into them based on how an actual patient would react.

Pros of Clinical Simulation

• There are many advantages to this technology, and the greatest is patient safety. A nurse who has gone through the Advanced Cardiac Life Support algorithm with a simulation has not had the chance to make her mistakes on a live human being. In addition, a nurse can simulate 10 Code Blues in an afternoon, whereas Code Blues do not happen as frequently in the real world. Simulation also gives the learner the chance to be evaluated by an educator and then critiqued on her performance. This, again, is not possible in real-world Code Blue situations.

Cons of Clinical Simulation

• One of the biggest disadvantages to simulation is that no matter how realistic they are, the mannequins are still not real. They cannot adequately stand in place for the human body. Physiologically and psychologically, they always fall short. Oftentimes, the environment is not as stress-charged as a Code Blue situation would be, and that definitely affects performance. Cost of equipment, lack of training for educators, and lack of access to the simulator are drawbacks to using a simulator.

Simulation in the Future

• Although low-fidelity simulation mannequins have been around for decades, many universities are now investing in high-fidelity technology for their nursing departments. Even many hospitals have purchased these costly teaching aides to assist their nurses in furthering their education. However, there are disadvantages to this type of teaching that are largely being ignored. More study needs to be done to determine if high-fidelity simulation is actually something that is of benefit to nursing students. If it is not, some of the disadvantages need to be addressed and mitigated to make this tool the most positive it can be.