Expanding Simulation Capacity: Senior-Level Students as Teachers.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Simulation-Based Learning
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Simulation is resource-intensive in nursing education.
• Peer-assisted learning in simulation is an underexplored area.
• Investigating senior students as instructors for junior students in simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of senior nursing students as peer instructors for junior students in a simulated health assessment learning experience.
• To compare learning outcomes and satisfaction between peer-led and faculty-led simulation.

Main Methods:

• 60 junior nursing students were randomized into two groups.
• One group was taught by 20 senior nursing students; the other by nursing faculty.
• Health assessment clinical skills were taught using simulation.

Main Results:

• Junior students taught by senior students showed comparable clinical performance to those taught by faculty.
• Postsimulation debriefing assessments and student satisfaction were similar between groups.
• Senior students were equally effective as faculty simulation instructors.

Conclusions:

• The Senior Students as Teachers program, utilizing a train-the-trainer model, successfully prepared senior students to be simulation instructors.
• This peer-teaching model has the potential to reduce faculty time and costs.
• Peer-to-peer learning in simulation can enhance the educational experience for nursing students.