USF Nursing holds the first Pediatric/Family Nurse Practitioner boot camp

University of South Florida College of Nursing held the first Pediatric/Family Nurse Practitioner Boot camp integrating high-fidelity simulation at the USF Nursing Virtual Simulation Center of Excellence in January, 2012. The boot camp provided students in the NGR 6301 Children and Adolescent I course with hands-on pediatric and adolescent clinical assessment skills and familiarized them with the components of infant, pediatric, and adolescent physical exams.

The boot camp also incorporated role play and pediatric exam techniques, and reviewed common forms used in the pediatric practice. A total of 45 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) master’s students participated in the boot camp. Seven USF Nursing faculty members ran four stations including the Pediatric Cardiac and Respiratory Assessment, Infant Assessment, the School Entry Exam and the Difficult Parent, and the Preparation Physical Exam.

Alicia Rossiter, MSN, ARNP, PNP-BC, FNP, Instructor and Coordinator of Graduate Nursing Simulation, developed the boot camp to help decrease students’ anxiety regarding pediatric patients.

“The boot camp provides nurse practitioner students with hands-on skills, comfort and confidence, and also provides a forum where they can ask faculty questions and receive feedback in a nonthreatening and non-pressure atmosphere,” Rossiter said.

According to Rossiter, students found the boot camp helpful. In a survey completed by the participants at the end of the boot camp one student said, “This was an excellent experience,” and another said, “Simulation helped with comfort level.”

“I am looking forward to incorporating the feedback given by the students into future simulations and expanding into the family and adult concentrations by Fall 2012,” Rossiter said.