The Clinical Pause: An Augmented Approach to Simulation Debriefing in Nursing Education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Simulation
• Clinical Reasoning

Background:

• Debriefing is a standard reflection-on-action method in nursing education.
• A faculty-facilitated clinical pause is an alternative teaching strategy during simulations.
• This pause occurs during natural breaks in unfolding simulation scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical pause in nursing education.
• To facilitate clinical reasoning and reflection-in-action during simulations.
• To provide timely feedback and enhance learning.

Main Methods:

• Faculty utilized Caputi's thinking skills during simulation breaks.
• The clinical pause facilitated validation of correct thinking and resolution of errors.
• Student comments were collected post-simulation to assess learning.

Main Results:

• The clinical pause teaching innovation was suggested by student comments to enhance learning.
• Students indicated improved clinical reasoning abilities.
• The pause provided opportunities for deliberate practice and contextual meaning construction.

Conclusions:

• The clinical pause is an effective teaching innovation in nursing simulation.
• Integrating clinical pauses with end-of-simulation debriefing maximizes clinical judgment.
• This combined approach offers a powerful strategy for nursing education.