Using Cerner\u27s Academic Education Solution (AES) with human patient simulators (HPS) in 3 key areas: Nursing Fundamentals; the evluation of psychomotor skills; and preparing nursing educators

As a Cerner AES subscriber for two years, the faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has made great strides in implementing the electronic health record (EHR) into our nursing courses. Currently, students enrolled in NUR 130 Essential Clinical Skills use the EHR to document their patient care and actions during skill performance competency demonstrations, more commonly known as “checkoffs.” In previous semesters, Essential Clinical Skill Courses (NUR 130) required students to perform the skills separately and did not integrate the skill within the realm of total patient care. In an effort to make the return demonstration of psychomotor skill performance more realistic, faculty decided to combine approximately half of the skills into one human patient simulation (HPS) mid semester with the remaining skills in a second HPS at the end of the semester. Another facet of the experience was to provide the patient case studies or scenarios through the AES for student review prior to the skill competency demonstration. To that end, two case study patients were developed and entered into the EHR prior to the start of the semester. Evaluation components for the skill performance, documentation, and student satisfaction will be multifold: 1) A Student Evaluation of Simulation Survey was developed for students to complete immediately after debriefing; 2) Students will complete a reflection paper with ten questions designed to stimulate clinical reasoning skills; and 3) Skill performance and documentation of care in AES will be evaluated according to the skill checklists developed for each skill in previous semesters. Thus, objective and subjective data will be collected during and after the skill performance simulation experience. The mid semester skill competency demonstration will be completed just before the Cerner conference occurs. Evaluation of the change in skill performance for NUR 130 Essential Clinical Skills continues