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Abstract: Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) programs are challenged to provide clinical learning experiences that prepare graduates with the full continuum of expected competencies. Preparing the APRN in academia, in terms of didactic and clinical application for novice entry, is often a vexing balance between board certification preparedness and the actualities of clinical practice. This article presents an innovative strategy to examine the perplexing reflective question often asked by educators: Does the current approach for simulation development prepare our APRN students sufficiently for entry into practice, and is it current to what is occurring in practice?, Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 National League for Nursing.)

Aim: This paper serves as the outline for a simulation that nurse educators can use to better prepare graduate students for the clinical setting and ensure the student's essential competencies prior to clinical practicum., Background: Educators often struggle with whether nurse practitioner students are sufficiently prepared for their clinical practicum once they have successfully completed the didactic component of their coursework., Method: This paper addresses the methods by which one institution uses standardized patients in a simulation laboratory to better prepare the graduate students for their first clinical practicum. The implications of using clinical simulation to enhance both student and faculty learning are addressed., Results: Simulation done prior to a student's clinical practicum prepares the student for patient cases in the clinical setting., Conclusion: Clinical simulation can enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that nurse practitioner students need in the clinical setting.