Collaborative Simulation: Enhancing the Transition to Clinical Practice.

Beginning nursing students typically report anxiety, low self-confidence, and difficulty transferring theoretical knowledge to the clinical setting prior to their first clinical experience. To address these issues, first-semester faculty in a prelicensure, undergraduate nursing program created a collaborative simulation experience (CSE). Implementation prior to the first clinical day provided real-life exposure to patient care, enhanced the transfer of knowledge, decreased anxiety, promoted self-confidence, and allowed faculty to identify students' strengths and weaknesses. Clinical faculty reported enhanced student performance following participation.