Telehealth Management of Seasonal Allergies and Nurse Practitioner Role Development

This simulation, using telehealth modality, focuses on assessment and management of allergic rhinitis in a young adult while emphasizing Nurse Practitioner professional identity, ethics, and telehealth communication. The scenario is aligned with AACN Essentials Domains 2, 8, 9 and 10.

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What’s Included:

  • Scenario forecast and case calibration guidance
  • Learner level, setting, and encounter design
  • AACN Essentials and NONPF aligned learning objectives
  • Prebrief script and suggested pre-simulation learning activities
  • Telehealth-specific communication and professionalism expectations
  • Detailed standardized patient (SP) case file and character profile
  • SP checklist aligned to critical clinical and communication behaviors
  • Suggested assessment tools and evaluation options
  • Structured debrief questions mapped to competencies and progression indicators
  • Guidance for supporting professional identity reflection and role transition

 

Advanced-Level Nursing Practice Scenarios: An Overview

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes are organized by simulation objectives (critical elements included under SP checklist in the scenario document above) and show alignment between AACN's and NONPF's sets of competencies and sub-competencies.

Simulation Objectives

During the simulation, the learner will have the opportunity to demonstrate, practice, receive feedback, and learn:

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

2.2: Communicate effectively with individuals.

  • 2.2g: Demonstrate advanced communication skills and techniques using a variety of modalities with diverse audiences.
  • 2.2g: Use advanced communication strategies to communicate ideas.
  • 2.2g: Solicit and integrate patient, family, and team feedback to refine communication approaches and enhance mutual understanding.

2.2: Communicate effectively with individuals.

  • NP 2.2k: Utilize communication tools and techniques to promote therapeutic relationships with individuals and/or caregiver.

Communication (assessment and feedback could be delivered by SP depending upon tool):
Consider implementing one or more of the following options for communication:

  • Sim-COMFORT Instrument (Burt et al., 2026).
  • iSOAP Framework Checklist (Chike-Harris et al., 2021).
  • Standardized Patient (SP) Checklist (see section); taken into consideration by faculty for debriefing.
  • Other communication assessment tool with evidence of validity and reliability.
  • Debriefing questions. 

Domain 2 competency progression:
Consider implementing one of the following options:

  • Nurse Practitioner Student Competency Assessment (NPSCA) (Ainslie et al., 2024; Pintz et al., 2025).
  • Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (CCEI) 2.0© (Manz & Todd, 2025; Manz et al., 2025; Todd et al., 2023).
  • Other competency assessment tool with evidence of validity and reliability.

Telehealth Skills:
Consider implementing one or more of the following options for telehealth:

  • iSOAP Framework Checklist (Chike-Harris et al., 2021).
  • Debriefing questions.

8.4: Use information and communication technology to support documentation of care and communication among providers, patients, and all system levels.

  • 8.4f: Employ electronic health, mobile health, and telehealth systems to enable quality, ethical, and efficient patient care.

 
  • 8.4f: Utilize telehealth platforms to conduct patient assessments, provide education, and deliver care to remote or underserved populations.

 

 

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

2.4: Diagnose actual or potential health problems and needs.

  • 2.4f: Employ context driven, advanced reasoning to the diagnostic and decision-making process.
  • 2.4f: Develop initial differential diagnoses aligning with the patient, system, or population context.

2.4: Diagnose actual or potential health problems and needs.

  • NP: 2.4h: Analyze physical findings to differentiate between normal, variations of normal, and signs of pathology to formulate actual and differential diagnoses. 

Assessment and synthesis of relevant clinical data.
Consider implementing one or more of the following options:

  • SP Checklist (see section); taken into consideration by faculty for debriefing.
  • Debriefing questions.

Domain 2 competency progression:
Consider implementing one of the following options:

  • NPSCA (Ainslie et al., 2024; Pintz et al., 2025).
  • CCEI 2.0© (Manz & Todd, 2025; Manz et al., 2025; Todd et al., 2023).
  • Other competency assessment tool with evidence of validity and reliability.

 

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

2.4: Diagnose actual or potential health problems and needs.

  • 2.4f: Employ context driven, advanced reasoning to the diagnostic and decision-making process.
  • 2.4f: Analyze practice situations holistically using an unbiased and systematic approach.
  • 2.4f: Ask targeted, evidence-based questions to assess diagnostic priorities.
  • 2.4f: Recognize emerging patterns in patient data to identify potential diagnoses using advanced reasoning frameworks.
  • 2.4f: Develop initial differential diagnoses aligning with the patient, system, or population context.

2.4: Diagnose actual or potential health problems and needs.

  • NP: 2.4h: Analyze physical findings to differentiate between normal, variations of normal, and signs of pathology to formulate actual and differential diagnoses. 

Assessment and synthesis of relevant clinical data.
Consider implementing one or more of the following options:

  1. SP Checklist (see section; taken into consideration by faculty for debriefing.
  2. Debriefing questions.

Domain 2 competency progression:
Consider implementing one of the following options:

  1. NPSCA (Ainslie et al., 2024; Pintz et al., 2025).
  2. CCEI 2.0© (Manz & Todd, 2025; Manz et al., 2025; Todd et al., 2023).
  3. Other competency assessment tool with evidence of validity and reliability.

 

2.5: Develop a plan of care.

  • 2.5j: Develop evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes and safety.

 
  • 2.5j: Prioritize interventions enhancing patient safety and minimizing potential harm.

2.5: Manage care of individuals.

  • NP 2.5m: Prescribe medications safety and accurately using patient data and following legal and regulatory guidelines.
  • NP 2.5n: Order appropriate nonpharmacological interventions.

 

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

8.4: Use information and communication technology to support documentation of care and communication among providers, patients, and all system levels.

  • 8.4f: Employ electronic health, mobile health, and telehealth systems to enable quality, ethical, and efficient patient care.
  • 8.4f: Utilize telehealth platforms to conduct patient assessments, provide education, and deliver care to remote or underserved populations.

 

8.4: Use information and communication technology to support documentation of care and communication among providers, patients, and all system levels.

  • No specific sub-competency.

Telehealth skills: 
Consider implementing one or more of the following options:

  1. iSOAP Framework Checklist (Chike-Harris et al., 2021).
  2. SP Checklist (see section); taken into consideration by faculty for debriefing.
  3. Debriefing questions.

8.5: Use information and communication technologies in accordance with ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards, and workplace policies in the delivery of care.

  • 8.5h: Assess potential ethical and legal issues associated with the use of information and communication technology.
  • 8.5i: Recommend strategies to protect health information when using communication and information technology.

 
  • 8.5j: Facilitate patient engagement with digital health tools.
  

 

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

9.5: Demonstrate the professional identity of nursing.

  • 9.5f: Articulate nursing’s unique professional identity to other interprofessional team members and the public.
  • 9.5f: Describe the professional identity of nursing.

9.5: Demonstrate the professional identity of nursing.

  • 9.5j: Articulate NPs unique professional identity to other interprofessional team members and the public.

Professional identity: NP role 
Consider the following option:

  1. SP Checklist (see section); taken into consideration by faculty for debriefing.
  2. Debriefing questions.

 

Competency & Sub-competencies Progression Indicator(s)^
(Developing)		 NONPF NP Role Competencies & Sub-Competencies* Assessment**

Domain 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development.

  • No specific sub-competency, but self-reflection mentioned in descriptor.
  • No specific progression indicator.
  • No specific competency/sub-competency.

 

Professional identity: Role transition  
Consider the following options:

  1. During the debriefing, they can articulate and discuss their reflection on both the professional identity of the NP and their transition from Nurse-to-Nurse Practitioner (Guido-Sanz et al., 2025).
  2. Add a post-simulation reflection.
  3. Debriefing questions.

 

^ This case was specifically developed for the above listed progression indicators. However, programs should determine the appropriate level of progression indicators—developing or developed—based on their curriculum sequence and the specific course in which the scenario is implemented.

* In this simulation scenario, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2021) Essentials and progression indicators are aligned with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) (2022) Nurse Practitioner Role Competencies, as well as corresponding simulation objectives. Educators should ensure that all simulation objectives and critical elements are explicitly mapped to the relevant professional competencies and behaviors for their specific educational program. (National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, (2022). National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ Nurse Practitioner Role Competencies. https://www.nonpf.org/page/DNPComps)

** This simulation scenario is designed as a formative learning experience in which multimodal assessment strategies are blended to generate comprehensive and individualized feedback for learners that supports competency progression. Multimodal assessment refers to the use of multiple, complementary methods to evaluate learner performance, drawing on converging lines of evidence to capture the complexity and breadth of competency (Schwengel et al., 2024; Smirnova et al., 2025). The Assessment within Simulation-Based Education figure (see scenario document) provides faculty with a structured framework for integrating multimodal assessment practices tailored to the formative simulation-based learning environment (Fey et al., 2022; Roussin et al., 2020; Schwengel et al., 2024; Smirnova et al., 2025; Ward et al., 2023).