Nursing students in our accelerated undergraduate program participate in structured simulations in all clinical courses throughout their two-year program of study. This poster will discuss the pilot use of impromptu student-driven simulations to prepare pre-graduation students for their final practicum. At least half of the class comes into consolidation following a community placement and experience anxiety related to their skill level and lack of recent practice in a hospital setting. The purpose of the pilot was to help students feel more confident about their upcoming placement by practicing self-identified skills and techniques in the context of a situation as close to reality as possible._x000D_ _x000D_ Senior students were invited to sign up ahead of time, specify their learning needs (e.g. giving injections, focused health assessment, prioritizing, etc.), and identify their upcoming clinical placement (e.g. medicine, surgery, etc.). Student groups of six or less worked together in the lab for 2- 4 hours just prior to the start of their practicum. Two faculty members experienced in simulation learning led the scenarios and debriefing sessions. Little preliminary work was done on the simulations. Most scenario development was tailored to the students in the scenario and done on the fly. Pre-simulation briefing was very important to ensure “a psychologically safe context for learning” and active engagement of student learners who did not know each other very well (Rudolph, Raemer & Simon, 2014). Highlights of this learner-centered activity as well as feedback from both students and faculty involved will be shared in this poster._x000D_ _x000D_ Onda, E.L. (2012). Situated cognition: Its relationship to simulation in nursing education. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 8, e273-e280._x000D_ _x000D_ Rudolph, J.W., Raemer, D.B., & Simon, R. (2014). Establishing a safe container for learning in simulation: The role of the presimulation briefing. Simulation in Healthcare, 9(6), 339-349._x000D_ _x000D_ Wooley, N.N. & Jarvis, Y. (2007). Situated cognition and cognitive apprenticeship: A model for teaching and learning clinical skils in a technologically rich and authentic learning environment. Nurse Education Today, 27, 73-79.
