CLINICAL SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY IN NURSING EDUCATION: MAINTAINING STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT

Studies are now supporting the assertion that the inclusion of clinical simulation technology in nursing education positively affects both student learning and patient care. Our three phase model of developing and sustaining the clinical simulation center and our overarching quality model are the guiding foundations for our present paper. They are briefly reviewed and may be found more fully described in a former ICERI2010 presentation. Our current presentation describes, explores, and analyzes how we are approaching the test of maintaining stakeholder support and the lessons learned. The development and maintenance of a clinical simulation center (CSC) is an “over time” program with ongoing needs for support and resources to improve, update, and maintain the CSC, thus continued support from our stakeholders for clinical simulation technology in our nursing education programs is paramount. In the process of maintaining stakeholders, the first step is identifying the stakeholders followed closely by understanding stakeholders as well as their needs, desires, characters, feelings, levels of influence, and perceptions. Our second step is categorizing stakeholders who are most influential in support of the CSC program as well as those who at this time will be concerned less about our center until they realize it has an affect on them. Additionally, we describe within our model of planned stakeholder maintenance how strong communication and people skills are required.