Comparison of Virtual Simulation to Clinical Practice for Prelicensure Nursing Students in Pediatrics.

Background: The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic has required a transition from in-person clinical practice to virtual learning.

Purpose: This study compares the standardized assessment test scores of prelicensure nursing students who completed their pediatric clinical practicum in person for both the clinical and simulation practice settings versus virtually.

Methods: This study included 186 students in a pediatric clinical course. Half the students completed in-person pediatric clinical practice and simulation, and half the students used i-Human to complete their pediatric clinical practicum virtually. Scores on the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) Nursing Care of Children examination were compared using independent-samples t tests.

Results: There were no significant differences in ATI scores between students who completed their pediatric clinical practicum in the clinical setting compared with virtually (P = .485; 95% confidence interval, -2.24 to 4.71).

Conclusions: Using the i-Human platform, along with prebriefing and debriefing, is an effective pedagogical approach to simulating a pediatric clinical practicum.