A call for change to the profession of nursing from a culture of the "good ole' girls' nursing club" to one of "great nurses from both genders and all ethnicities" is critical for the future growth of the profession.

Background: Educational advantages of simulation have been widely reported. Pre-briefing and debriefing support simulation methods. However, few detailed accounts of how the learning activities surrounding simulation are implemented exist. Objectives: This case example provides a detailed description of learning activities surrounding a simulation experience with a deteriorating cardiac patient. The educational sequence integrates Benner et al.'s goals for transforming nursing education. The study objectives were to design and evaluate an educational sequence using narrative, games, and simulation to teach students how to manage and anticipate the care of a deteriorating patient. Design: A case example with descriptive quantitative and qualitative evaluation is presented. Setting: The study took place on multiple days in a university simulation laboratory. Participants: All study participants (n = 43) were senior students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Methods: Students experienced an educational sequence and then rated and ranked educational activities. Results are reported with descriptive statistics. Students and faculty responded to the question, "What will you take from this experience?" Their responses were evaluated using constant comparison and expert review for themes. Results: Students identified 'knowing how', 'increasing confidence' and 'understanding roles' as what they took from the experience. Students ranked the simulation itself as the most helpful. Conclusions: Incorporating Benner et al.'s transformational educational goals informed the educational sequence and engaged students in the learning experience. This paper adds uniquely to the nursing literature by providing detailed accounts of the activities surrounding simulation that support student learning in multiple domains.

The purpose of this study is to identify the most supportive and restrictive factors contributing to students’ ability to persist through nursing program course completion as perceived by 59 nontraditional students enrolled in a nursing associate degree program. The Student Perception Appraisal-Revised tool was used. Results include that encouragement by friends within school is the top supportive factor, while financial status was found to be the most restrictive factor. Students’ perceptions of why they are not successful in staying in school may help nurse educators to plan and implement changes for improvement based on changing student needs.

The modified PQ Realism subscale is a valid measure of physical fidelity in nursing simulation and may advance the study and development of simulation for researchers and nursing educators.