Background: Providing appropriate clinical placement has become increasingly difficult over the past several years. To meet the need, schools of nursing are using simulation laboratory experiences in place of direct patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many students out of patient care environments and into the simulation laboratory. Methods: Repeating the research done in 2015, a qualitative case study design and the constructivist theory were again used. Recently graduated registered nurses were interviewed to answer the research questions: How do recent graduates of registered nurse (RN) education programs view the simulation lab experiences from nursing school, and what changes were made to your simulation experiences as a result of COVID-19? Results: Eight participants completed virtual or survey interviews. The data were coded and grouped into the same five themes from the previous research. The data revealed that there have not been significant changes in perceived simulation experiences in the past seven years. Conclusions: The recently graduated nurse has valuable insight regarding the efficacy of simulation laboratory experiences in preparation for real-world nursing. This insight can be used by schools of nursing to design effective simulation experiences.
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