Simulation-based mastery improves nursing skills in BSc nursing students: a quasi-experimental study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Simulation
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Clinical education is vital for nursing students.
• Teaching methods significantly impact educational quality.
• Simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) offers a novel approach to enhance clinical skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of SBML on undergraduate nursing students' clinical skills.
• To compare SBML with traditional training methods.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study with control and intervention groups (n=105).
• Intervention group received SBML; control group received traditional training.
• Clinical skills assessed using checklists before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• No significant baseline differences between groups.
• Both groups showed significant post-intervention improvement (p<0.05).
• SBML was significantly more effective than traditional training (Cohen test).

Conclusions:

• Mastery learning, particularly SBML, is effective for improving nursing students' clinical skills.
• SBML can be implemented in other nursing and health programs.