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Fostering Moral Resilience: Evaluating a High-Fidelity Ethics Simulation With Prelicensure Nursing Students in Their
Kathy Forte1, Melinda Higgins, Rebecca D Pentz
1Author Affiliations: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Forte); Office of Nursing Research's Biostatistics and Data Management Core and Office of Nursing Research, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Higgins); and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Pentz).
Background:
Despite the high prevalence of moral distress in nursing, empirical evidence is lacking about the best educational approaches to foster moral resilience.
Purpose:
This study evaluates the effectiveness of an ethics simulation in a prelicensure program, 6 months into nursing practice.
Methods:
We used an exploratory design, including 2 instruments and open-ended questions. One instrument measured moral distress, the other measured moral resilience. Alumni who participated in the simulation were compared to alumni who received didactic teaching only.
Results:
Six months into practice, the quantitative data from this study did not show a statistical significance between those who received didactic training only and those who received a simulation, except for one element of the moral resilience scale (relational integrity), in which the control group had a higher score. Open-ended questions confirmed that alumni recognized the positive impact of the simulation in practice.
Conclusions:
Further study is needed to determine the best educational strategies for teaching ethics in prelicensure nursing programs, with a focus on improving retention and resilience in practice.
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