• Kristen M Brown, Shawna S Mudd, Elizabeth A Hunt, Julianne S Perretta, Nicole A Shilkofski, J Wesley Diddle, Gregory Yurasek, Melania Bembea, Jordan Duval-Arnould, and Nelson McMillan Kristen K Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD..
• Department of Acute and Chronic Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2018 Jun 1; 19 (6): 564-571.

ObjectivesAssess the effect of a simulation "boot camp" on the ability of pediatric nurse practitioners to identify and treat a low cardiac output state in postoperative patients with congenital heart disease. Additionally, assess the pediatric nurse practitioners' confidence and satisfaction with simulation training.DesignProspective pre/post interventional pilot study.SettingUniversity simulation center.SubjectsThirty acute care pediatric nurse practitioners from 13 academic medical centers in North America.InterventionsWe conducted an expert opinion survey to guide curriculum development. The curriculum included didactic sessions, case studies, and high-fidelity simulation, based on high-complexity cases, congenital heart disease benchmark procedures, and a mix of lesion-specific postoperative complications. To cover multiple, high-complexity cases, we implemented Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice method of teaching for selected simulation scenarios using an expert driven checklist.Measurements And Main ResultsKnowledge was assessed with a pre-/posttest format (maximum score, 100%). A paired-sample t test showed a statistically significant increase in the posttest scores (mean [SD], pre test, 36.8% [14.3%] vs post test, 56.0% [15.8%]; p < 0.001). Time to recognize and treat an acute deterioration was evaluated through the use of selected high-fidelity simulation. Median time improved overall "time to task" across these scenarios. There was a significant increase in the proportion of clinically time-sensitive tasks completed within 5 minutes (pre, 60% [30/50] vs post, 86% [43/50]; p = 0.003] Confidence and satisfaction were evaluated with a validated tool ("Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning"). Using a five-point Likert scale, the participants reported a high level of satisfaction (4.7 ± 0.30) and performance confidence (4.8 ± 0.31) with the simulation experience.ConclusionsAlthough simulation boot camps have been used effectively for training physicians and educating critical care providers, this was a novel approach to educating pediatric nurse practitioners from multiple academic centers. The course improved overall knowledge, and the pediatric nurse practitioners reported satisfaction and confidence in the simulation experience.

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