Augmenting pediatric nursing clinical education with low-cost simulations

Pediatric nursing education faces challenges due to limited clinical opportunities for students. Simulation-based education (SBE) is essential to address this gap, but high-fidelity/high-technology simulations can be expensive. Low-cost alternatives, such as pictocards, offer a diverse and cost-effective solution that aligns with competency-based education. This study aimed to evaluate the educational benefit of this low-cost solution on simulation effectiveness.

A convergent mixed methods study design was used with undergraduate nursing students in a pediatrics skills lab. Quantitative data were collected using the modified Simulation Effectiveness Tool (SET-M; Leighton et al., 2015) and qualitative data were gathered from open-ended responses on the tool. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyze the data.

A total of 164 learners participated in the study. SET-M results indicate that the simulation activity was effective, with an overall SET-M score of 2.49 (SD = 0.23) out of 3.0. Means on the subscales ranged from 2.35 to 2.79 out of 3.0, with the highest subscale being Debriefing. Qualitative findings showed that learners found the simulation useful with an emphasis on enhanced understanding and exposure to diverse patient populations.

This modality was an effective, low-cost solution for pediatric nursing SBE. Further exploration is needed with this modality and other low-cost solutions for competency development and interdisciplinary applications.