Measuring Nursing Student Development Through Computer-Based Simulation Activities.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Professional Development

Background:

• New nurse attrition poses risks to patient safety, career progression, and healthcare costs.
• A significant gap exists between educational preparation and practice expectations for nurses.
• Developing practice-ready, resilient nurses is a key challenge for employers and educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate computer-based simulation activities (CBSAs) for measuring key processes within Aller's Development of Decision-Making and Self-Efficacy Model (ADD-SEM).
• To assess the utility of CBSAs in capturing student development of decision-making and psychological capital.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 50 BSN students across multiple sites.
• Utilized CBSAs to collect data on decision-making, psychological capital (anxiety/self-confidence), and reflection.
• Employed Virtual Patient Lasater's Clinical Judgment Rubric and the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence in Decision-Making Scale©.

Main Results:

• Decision-making scores varied, being highest in 'noticing' and lowest in 'interpreting' phases.
• Significant differences in decision-making scores were observed between junior and senior nursing students (P < .001; P = .013).
• Psychological capital measures showed significant differences (P < .001).

Conclusions:

• CBSAs provide an effective method for assessing the development of decision-making skills in nursing students.
• The use of CBSAs can help measure psychological capital essential for nursing resilience.
• These findings support the use of CBSAs to bridge the transition-to-practice gap and improve nurse retention.