What are the benefits of using simulation to teach nursing - Essay Example

Benefit of using Simulation to Teach Nursing Simulation training has been adopted in various fields to promote effective and efficient transformative nursing services. This paper underscores the definition, benefits and the need for simulation training in nursing profession. This technique has been integrated in nursing to enhance healthcare providers’ skills while giving them firsthand experience in an interactive environment.According to Jeffries (2005), simulation is a style of teaching and enlightening trainees aimed at providing assortment of tolerant experience where they are challenged with rare and perilous situations in their work.

Additionally, simulation display actions, conclusion and important opinion through techniques like role playing, use manikins and videos to enhance confidence and clinical skills at multiple levels of nursing practice. There are diverse benefits of using simulation to teach nursing. For instance, simulation training practice enables nursing students develop accuracy in diagnosis and treatment of patients. This helps students to develop their ability to learn and retain knowledge therefore, enhancing patient safety as theoretical and conceptual learning are practically implemented allowing student apply learned concepts.

Jeffries (2005) infers that skill performance, critical thinking, satisfaction and knowledge are addressed though simulation and in turn competence among the practicing nursing students is developed. The underpinning factor therefore, is that simulation training offers student opportunities to practice interventions in a safe and sound environments, observe consequences when incorrect conclusion are made and with new developing trends in the nursing profession where time, accuracy and due diligence form the key pillars to service delivery, healthcare providers need better understanding to foster smooth transition to clinical experiences and through simulated practices adaptability to clinical environment is reached as consistent practical approaches are used to engage student (Schmidt & Brown, 2007).

Simulation practices are used to challenge and support students develop and learn prioritization, teamwork, delegation, communication and leadership and in so doing transforming clinical environment by providing institutions with the flexibility to create specific and unique learning experiences not duplicable in real clinical environment.In adapting to simulation as a style to teach nursing several challenges present themselves therefore hindering full adoption of the style by various institutions.

Simulations models are expensive to build, as well as, difficult to interpret some simulation results. This implies that it can become costly in the long run as more time is used in explaining and exemplifying actions to students who may not take such trainings seriously (Schmidt & Brown, 2007).In conclusion, although there has been rapid increase in the use of simulation-based teaching methods, there has been little research done to determine the effect of simulation training on learning outcomes and this is as a result of many research conclusions being invalidated due to flawed design e.g. the lack of reasonable control groups and having small sample sizes.

Therefore much emphasis should be put in the simulation design to ensure that such limiting factors as observed above do not affect the implementation of the simulated teaching practices that are integral in the quest of enabling nursing trainees develop understanding and employ due diligence in their daily clinical activities. This will assist in developing capable healthcare providers committed to service provision, integrity and due diligence. ReferencesJeffries, P. (2005). A framework for designing, implementing and evaluating simulations used as teaching strategies in nursing.

Nursing Education Perspectives, 26(2), 96-103.Schmidt, N., & Brown, J. (2007). Use of the Innovation-decision Process Teaching strategy to promote Evidence-based Practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 23(3): 150-157.