Adapting a Nurse-Managed Mobile Simulation Program to Meet Rural Health Nursing Continuing Education Needs.

Background: Rural nurses often practice in settings with limited access to continuing education resources. A hospital alliance in southeastern North Carolina developed a unique nurse-led mobile simulation program as a shared regional asset, for the purpose of meeting continuing education needs of rural nurses.

Method: The alliance used a hub-and-spoke model to deliver education to staff in rural, critical access hospitals in order to reduce costs associated with education travel, the resulting staffing shortages, and delays in critical training. Continuing education credit was awarded to nurses participating in the learning activity.

Results: Fully mobile simulation can be an effective delivery mode for continuing and just-in-time education for nurses practicing in rural settings. Establishing the program as a regional shared resource can make this a financially viable option for rural hospitals.

Conclusion: Lessons learned during the mobile simulation program's evolution and the resulting financial sustainability are discussed. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(2):82-86.].