Simulation-Based Mastery Learning to Facilitate Transition to Nursing Practice

Simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) was developed and implemented to facilitate nursing students' transition to clinical practice.

To evaluate nursing students' perspectives on the impact of SBML on their transition to clinical practice.

A descriptive qualitative study using focus group discussions was conducted with final-year nursing students who had completed their clinical practicum and SBML.

Three themes emerged: authenticity of simulations, whereby students were able to draw some parallels between their simulations and clinical experiences; self-efficacy in clinical practice, which was gained through deliberate practice; and application of cognitive tools, which provided mental frameworks to guide clinical performances.

This study highlights the need to ensure the fidelity of the simulations to achieve authentic experiences, provide deliberate practice to develop self-efficacy, and use cognitive tools for mental model formation to create a high-quality SBML program to foster better transfer of simulation learning to real-life setting.