Debriefing with the OPT model of clinical reasoning during high fidelity patient simulation

Evidenced-based educational practices propose simulation as a valuable teaching and learning strategy to promote situated cognition and clinical reasoning to teach nursing students how to solve problems. A project that uses a structured debriefing activity, the Outcome Present State-Test Model of clinical reasoning following high fidelity patient simulation, is described in this paper. The results of this project challenge faculty to create and manage patient simulation scenarios that coordinate with didactic content and clinical experiences to direct student learning for the best reinforcement of clinical reasoning outcomes. Considerations for the future include incorporating patient simulation activities as part of student evaluation and curriculum development. The arguments for using high fidelity patient simulation in the current educational environment has obvious short term benefits, however, the long term benefit of developing clinical expertise remains to be discovered.