Simulation training for nurses provides familiarity with a functioning work environment. When a nurse graduates and enters the field, her surroundings will be familiar and she'll be able to act more proficiently from the onset.
Simulations require accurate locations that mimic functioning hospitals and care facilities. For example, Rebecca Hendron reported for the Health Leaders Media website that the Phoenix-based Banner Health System converted an old hospital into a "state-of-the-art simulated medical center, where the health system will send new nurses in the Arizona region for training."
Simulation training uses both virtual education, such as teaching nurses about behavioral health training, and practical education in replicated hospital rooms, intensive care units and operating rooms.
Simulation training programs assess nurses as they progress. Hendron's article for Health Leaders Media, for example, reports that the Banner Health System compiles individual reports on nurses to assess who can handle greater patient loads and who is struggling.