After-hours/on-call experience during primary care nurse practitioner education utilizing standard scenarios and simulated patients

Abstract

Background and purpose Few nurse practitioner (NP) programs include an after‐hours/on‐call component in their clinical preparation of NP students. This role is expected in many primary and specialty care practices, and is one that students feel unprepared to competently navigate. Methods Utilizing simulated callers as patients or parents, NP students participated in a simulated after‐hours/on‐call experience that included receiving the call, managing the patient, and submitting documentation of the encounter. Students completed pre‐ and postparticipation evaluations, and were evaluated by the simulated patient callers and faculty using standardized evaluation tools. Conclusions NP students rated the experience as an educationally valuable experience despite feeling anxious and nervous about the experience. Several essential skills were identified including critical thinking, clear communication, self‐confidence, and access to resources. After participation NP students were more receptive to an NP position with an on‐call component. Implications for practice Inclusion of a simulated on‐call experience is a feasible component of NP education and should be added to the NP curriculum.

On-call simulation for adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner students: A comparative descriptive study

“…This study loosely replicated the on-call study completed by Kelly et al (2017). The students in this study were adult gerontology acute care students rather than primary care; therefore, the scenarios reflect the types of calls commonly made by the nursing staff caring for hospitalized patients.…”

“…The Kelly et al (2017) study's perception surveys served as the foundation for the development of the surveys in this study. Questions and responses were altered to reflect the roles and responsibilities of the adult gerontology ACNP provider where they deviated from those of a primary care provider.…”

“…Kelly, Blunt, and Nestor (2017) examined NP student (pediatric, family, and adult primary care) perceptions of an on-call experience in the final semester of their program through a preparticipation and postparticipation survey. Twenty-nine students received two to four calls from fictitious patients over a 15-hour call period.…”

“…Students identified critical thinking and clear communication as the most important skills needed to manage their on-call encounters. They noted the difficulty of assessing a patient through a phone call and therefore needed to use all available information to gain an understanding of the patient's concern and to determine a diagnosis (Kelly, et al, 2017). The surveys revealed that despite much stress at the thought of being on-call, the students' anticipated stress was worse than the actual stress, and they believed the experience to be valuable to their education and role preparation (Kelly, et al, 2017).…”

Consultation With Nurse Practitioners Over the Telephone in Prison Health

“…7 A similar study suggested that complex decision making by NPs in primary health care is safe and effective within the limitations of a telephone consultation. 22 NPs in many of these settings were also able to contribute to the nursing team as educators and agents of quality improvement. 8,23 NPs are known to support other nurses through a process of collaborative decision making within a nursing team model of care that differentiates them from physicians.…”