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Maternity nursing is an essential component of pre-licensure nursing education. For Rush University’s Advanced Generalist Master’s in Nursing program, changes in the maternity course presented unique challenges and opportunities. These challenges included a reduction in clinical and classroom hours, earlier placement of the course in the curriculum, and the addition of women’s health content. The faculty for this course needed to employ a variety of innovative pedagogies and use all available resources to ensure the provision of safe, competent, knowledgeable students. With nearly one million dollars in high and low fidelity simulation models, the Rush University Simulation Lab (RUSL) is a significant resource for students and faculty. However, the lab is currently under-utilized. This is unfortunate since modern students expect a learning environment that is creative, engaging, and employs the latest technologies.

To address the need for an innovative women’s health curriculum, expanded clinical experiences, and better stewardship of RUSL, faculty of the Women’s Health course piloted a perinatal assessment simulation experience as well as a labor support workshop for pre-licensure nursing students. Using a case study approach, students rotated through four assessment stations – antepartum, intrapartum, newborn, and postpartum. The focus of the antepartum assessment station is determining estimated due dates, fundal heights, and practicing Leopold’s maneuvers on a pregnancy simulation model.  Students in the intrapartum assessment station interpreted a “fetal” monitor tracing that is streaming across the computer monitor and responded to nonreassuring findings by repositioning the model, applying oxygen, or other indicated nursing actions. In the newborn assessment and care station, students assigned an appropriate Apgar score to a newborn model based on the case scenario, demonstrated a physical assessment, and gave an IM injection. The fourth station utilizes the OB simulator, Noelle. At this station, students completed a postpartum assessment and demonstrated various breastfeeding positions. Each station, 30 minutes in length, is staffed by a faculty member who provided the patient history, demonstrated the skills, and asked clinically related questions.

To complement this simulation experience, students also participated in a two-hour labor support workshop. This “world’s largest childbirth class” gave students the opportunity to practice a variety of positions and pain management techniques used by laboring women. By practicing labor support skills, students are reminded of the importance of incorporating “human technology” into the care they provide and that the most sensitive and reliable assessment tools are their hands and their heads.

Both components were very well received with students reporting “more confidence with assessment skills”, and “decreased anxiety” during their first clinical day. Many also found the review of didactic information (e.g., fetal monitoring, newborn assessment) beneficial during test-taking.

The underlying goal is to better prepare nursing students to safely perform patient care tasks. Inherent in this learning experience however is the opportunity to practice communication, work as a team member, use critical thinking, and increase self-confidence.