Implementation and Evaluation of an End-of-Life Standardized Participant Simulation in an Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program.

Graduate nursing programs must provide end-of-life (EOL) content to prepare nurse practitioners to manage the holistic needs of patients. This project aimed to measure the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium curriculum's impact on student self-confidence and anxiety levels. A pretest/posttest study design was implemented using an EOL simulation and the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence With Clinical Decision-Making Scale (NASC-CDM©) to compare baseline self-confidence and anxiety levels related to clinical decision-making.

Simulated Learning Experience in Advance Care Planning Conversations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one-third of all Americans have not done any advance care planning, which is essential for maintaining autonomy when people are no longer able to communicate wishes directly at the end of life. The Institute of Medicine reports that providers have limited training in communication techniques and low confidence in holding advance care planning conversations. Forty-four family nurse practitioner students received classroom communication training using evidence-based end-of-life nursing education consortium materials and role-play opportunities.