Measuring Stress in Nursing Students Before and After Multi-Patient High-Fidelity Simulation

Identifying students' stress state surrounding simulation-based learning experiences can inform educators on the facilitators and barriers for learning in simulation-based learning experiences. This project aimed to determine students' perception of stress before and after a multiple-patient, high-fidelity simulation-based learning experience.

This project employed an observational pretest-posttest methodology to measure students' perception of stress around a multiple-patient, high-fidelity simulation that focused on clinical judgment, priority setting, and teamwork. The Short Stress State Questionnaire was utilized to measure distress, engagement, and worry. Wilcoxon sum-rank tests were performed to evaluate changes in the three domains.

149 prelicensure students completed both pre- and posttests. Analysis showed a significant increase in engagement and decrease in distress but no change in worry from pretest to posttest.

At balanced levels, stress can prompt alertness and engagement. Measuring student stress states when participating in simulation can inform the creation of optimal learning environments.