Effects of an Avatar-Based Simulation on Family Nurse Practitioner Students’ Self-Evaluated Suicide Prevention Knowledge and Confidence

Family nurse practitioners (FNPs) are often gatekeepers and can recognize the warning signs of suicidality yet may lack adequate education or self-confidence in identifying people in crisis. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online suicide prevention simulation with 53 FNP students. Pre/post responses were found to be statistically significant across all preparedness and attitudinal items following the Kognito© training ( p < .001). Online, avatar-based suicide prevention training with FNP students may be effective in improving participants' perceived preparedness and self-confidence with patients at risk for suicidality.