Simulation's Use Across the Clinical Landscape.

Across the healthcare continuum simulation is routinely integrated into the curriculum for nurses and other professionals. The amount of simulation experienced at different points in the clinical setting highly depends on the specialty and organizational investment. The use of simulation in nursing can be divided into five specific use cases. Required and specialty certification courses include the following: Nurse Onboarding, Nurse Continuing Education, Regulatory & Joint Commission, and Interprofessional Education. Although common elements exist for each of the abovementioned use cases, there are distinct advantages, disadvantages, and implementation challenges with each that need to be considered.

Kutzin JM ，Lopez CM 《-》

Encouraging Specialty Certification: How Multilevel Support Can Help.

Professional development through specialty certification is positively associated with nurses' increased confidence in clinical skills, commitment to learning, empowerment, and professional credibility. This translates to improved patient outcomes, with higher organizational reimbursement, in addition to nurse retention and job satisfaction. Despite the call for lifelong learning from the Institute of Medicine, certification rates, especially among nurses in direct patient care, remain low. This article provides a three-tiered approach for organizational leaders and administrators of continuing education programs to establish resources and support for nurses seeking specialty certification.

Lindgren S ，Lancaster RJ 《-》

Using Simulation to Improve Communication Skills.

Farina CL ，Moreno J ，Schneidereith T 《-》

Development of a standardized medication assistant curriculum.

Spector N ，Doherty M 《-》

Nurse leader certification preparation: how are confidence levels impacted?

The aim was to examine the effect of a nurse leader certification preparation course on the confidence levels of the participants. Limited literature is available regarding nurse leader development and certifications. Barriers exist related to lack of confidence, high cost, time and lack of access to a preparation course. Nurse leaders (n = 51) completed a pre- and post-survey addressing confidence levels of participants related to the topics addressed in the nurse leader certification preparation course. There were statistically significant increases in confidence levels related to all course content for the participants. At the time of the study, there were 31.4% of participants intending to sit for the certification examination, and 5 of the 51 participants successfully sat for and passed the examination. A nurse leader certification preparation course increases confidence levels of the participants and removes barriers, thereby increasing the number of certifications obtained. The health-care climate is increasingly complex and nurse leaders need the expertise to navigate the ever-changing health-care environment. Certification in a specialty, such as leadership, serves as an indicator of a high level of competence in the field.

Junger S ，Trinkle N ，Hall N 《-》