Background. Basic life support (BLS) skills decline rapidly without frequent practice. Deliberate practice (DP) and simulation scenarios have been shown to increase BLS skill retention for nursing students. Additionally, BLS implementation in the hospital setting requires effective team skills which are infrequently addressed in resuscitation courses or in nursing students’ practice. An exploratory study to determine the impact of recurrent simulations with deliberate practice on BLS team skills was designed for senior nursing students. Methods. Seven teams of students were followed over the course of one semester examining the impact of deliberate practice in recurrent simulation codes on BLS team skills. Results. Students attained effective BLS team performance after three hours of deliberate practice, and sustained these skills over the semester with recurrent code practice. Conclusion. Recurring code team DP sustains BLS skills and is recommended for nursing students.