Turning Simulation into Reality: Increasing Student Competence and Confidence

Abstract

Clinical experiences are an essential part of nursing education as students learn technical skills, build on critical thinking skills, and hone skills in patient teaching. To build competence and confidence in each of these skill areas, an innovative clinical experience for senior students enrolled in women's health nursing was developed to provide nursing care and independent discharge teaching for postpartum mothers. Faculty facilitated this clinical experience by designing a simulation laboratory for students to practice their maternal self-care teaching and infant care skills prior to beginning their clinical rotation. In the hospital, students spent a day independently prioritizing new mothers' need for education and teaching new mothers to care for themselves and their newborns. Students reported confidence in teaching maternal self-care and newborn care, and satisfaction with this unique clinical experience. This approach may assist students in transferring skills learned in simulation laboratories to clinical practice.

Predictors of Knowledge Gains Using Simulation in the Education of Prelicensure Nursing Students

“…Self-efficacy is a person’s degree of confidence in performing a desired action or skill and has been measured using researcher-developed Likert scale instruments. (Bambini, Washburn, & Perkins, 2009; Goldenberg, Andrusyszyn, & Iwasiw, 2005; Gordon & Buckley, 2009; Jeffries & Rizzolo, 2006; Ravert, 2004; Scherer, Bruce, & Runkawatt, 2007; Wagner, Bear, & Sander, 2009). Although gains in self-efficacy were found using HPS in these studies, it has not been linked to gains in knowledge or been investigated as a predictor for greater gains in clinical understanding.…”

The educator inside the patient: students’ insights into the use of high fidelity silicone patient simulation

“…Clinical experience in undergraduate nursing programs is acknowledged as essential for the development of competent and confident nursing graduates (Jeffries 2008, Wagner et al. 2009).…”

A Senior Internship

“…[15][16][17] Before starting their internship, students were offered a skills review to enhance feelings of self-confidence and preparedness. 18 Students were overwhelmingly positive and, via survey, prioritized 2 skills they wanted to review: nursing care and psychomotor skills related to central venous catheters and tracheotomies.…”