Using simulation to improve the medication administration skills of undergraduate nursing students.
OBJECTIVE
This quasi-experimental pilot study examined simulation methods to improve nursing students' medication calculation and administration abilities.


BACKGROUND
Approximately 25 percent of junior-level students in the nursing program who took a medication administration exam (MAE) failed in their first attempt. It was theorized that simulation could facilitate their success.


METHODS
Students in the control group (n = 79) attended a didactic medication administration review session; students in the intervention group (n = 79) participated in a medication administration simulation review session. All students took the MAE within a week of their review.


RESULTS
The intervention group scored significantly higher (M = 95 percent, SD = 6.8) on the MAE than the control group (M = 90 percent, SD = 12.9) at the p = .004 level.


CONCLUSIONS
The simulation facilitated student success by giving students a state-of-the-art contextual reference to apply when taking the MAE.
Margaret A
MA
Harris
Laura
L
Pittiglio
Sarah E
SE
Newton
Gary
G
Moore
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D054796:Drug Dosage Calculations; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015146:Midwestern United States; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult