Students' and facilitators' perceptions of simulation in practice learning

In the United Kingdom (UK), there have been concerns about nursing students' clinical competence at registration; whether simulation can enhance practice learning is under consideration. This paper presents results from an evaluative study of students' and facilitators' perceptions of simulation and its application to clinical practice. A project was conducted, involving 267 pre-registration nursing students; 179 students, in eight sub-groups, experienced a simulation programme and a further 88 undertook their usual clinical placements. Facilitator and student data were collected through questionnaires and were entered into SPSS v13 and analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square was used to examine associations where appropriate. Facilitators and students evaluated the simulation programmes very positively. Students perceived that simulation increased their ability and confidence in their clinical placements and they did not feel disadvantaged by the reduced clinical placement hours. At the end of their placements, most simulation group students were confident about their skills and many made comments about how the experience had increased their confidence. There was no significant difference between the perceived confidence of simulation and comparison group students at the end of placement. In conclusion, undertaking simulated learning during a clinical placement appears to be at least as effective as learning during practice placement without simulation.