Comparison of Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)-related student experiences during pediatric clinical and simulation rotations.

Nurse educators are challenged with providing meaningful clinical experiences for students. However, patient safety regulations constrain what nursing students are able to accomplish in the pediatric setting. So, what are students actually doing in their clinical rotation? This pilot observational study was undertaken to provide a snapshot of the experiences available to nursing students that develop the six Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies. Students were directly observed during pediatric clinical and pediatric simulation rotations, and their time-on-task was calculated and categorized. Three of the six QSEN competencies were observed more often than the others during both the simulation and clinical experiences. Much work needs to be done to include all QSEN-related knowledge and skills into prelicensure clinical rotations.