Effects of a Debriefing Workshop for Simulation Educators in Nursing

Simulation educators play an essential role in debriefing to induce learning outcomes following a simulation activity. Training programs are needed to ensure and maintain the simulation educator's debriefing competency. This study aimed to identify the effects of a 4-hour debriefing workshop on knowledge, debriefing competency, and satisfaction. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The debriefing workshop consisted of a lecture, a practicum for debriefing competency rating (peer evaluation, learner evaluation), a presentation, and a group discussion. A convenience sample of 22 simulation educators completed a self-administered questionnaire. The pretest-posttest difference in knowledge and debriefing competency was analyzed using a paired t test. The results indicated that simulation educators had a higher posttest than pretest knowledge score. Training also significantly improved the overall elements of the perceived simulation educator debriefing competency. The simulation educators were generally satisfied with the debriefing workshop. The debriefing workshop positively affected the simulation educators' knowledge, debriefing competency, and satisfaction. Further study is needed to identify the translational effects of a faculty development program regarding debriefing on learner outcomes.