Intraprofessional Simulation's Impact on Advanced Practice and Baccalaureate Student Self-Efficacy

Background Benefits of peer learning activities among students have been well documented. According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, self-efficacy positively influences the delivery of quality nursing care. A pediatric simulation with peer learning and advanced practice nursing (APN) students was conducted to foster self-efficacy in baccalaureate in nursing (BSN) students. Method A pre–post quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the simulations' effect on student self-efficacy in a convenience sample of BSN students at a Midwest Jesuit university. Results More than 90% of BSN students agreed that they benefited from the simulation in the areas of leadership, skill development, communication, and collaboration. In addition, a statistically significant increase (p <.0001) in BSN students' reported understanding of the roles and relationships between a physician, APN-, and a BSN-prepared nurse was revealed. Conclusions Intraprofessional nursing peer learning activities can enhance students' self-efficacy. Future studies should include objective measurements of student clinical performance and intraprofessional collaboration with correlational analysis of both BSN and APN student self-efficacy.