Linking the transition: a substantive theory of high-stakes clinical simulation

Clinical simulation fosters the situational transition from student to professional nurse by providing students with the opportunity to care for simulated patients. Grounded theory was used to reveal the basic social psychological problem, caring as a professional nurse, and core category, linking, of high-stakes clinical simulation for 30 nursing students enrolled in a generic bachelor of science in nursing program. Linking is the 4-stage process of managing Sim-hype, encountering barriers, integrating-the-self, and interconnecting. The relationship between linking and transitions is presented along with implications for nursing education.