Nursing has used low fidelity simulation for practicing and performing skills for many years. However, in today’s pedagogical environment, our millennial students demand the use of more innovative technology. Therefore, nursing education has advanced the use of simulation to high-fidelity simulation (HFS; Baptista, Martins, Pereira, & Mazzo, 2014). Current researchers are not in agreement with the efficacy or rigor of simulation-debriefing training (Aebersold & Tschannen, 2013; Kassab & Kenner, 2011). Moreover, studies utilizing low-fidelity techniques of simulation training have not investigated the efficacy of debriefing, which is the gap in the literature that the researcher aims to explore. The challenge of this research is understanding the problem solving processes that directly relate to nursing students’ critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and satisfaction in learning. One of the major concerns in health care in the 21st century is the failure of nurses to recognize and respond appropriately to complex clinical environments and deterioration in clients. The purpose of this non randomized, control group, pre-test/post-test design is for the researcher to investigate the effect of repeated low-fidelity simulation after debriefing learning exercises critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and satisfaction in nursing students.
Many researchers have studied nursing education in regards to the relationships between simulation and critical thinking, clinical reasoning, self-confidence, student satisfaction, simulation design and effective debriefing methods. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental, more specifically, non randomized, control group, pre-test/post-test study, is for the researcher to investigate the effect of repeated low-fidelity simulation after debriefing learning exercises on critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and satisfaction in nursing students. The research questions were: What is the effect of repeat low-fidelity simulation after reflection in the development of critical thinking skills in nursing students? What is the effect of repeat low-fidelity simulation after reflection in the development of self-confidence in nursing students? What is the effect of repeat low-fidelity simulation after reflection in the development of satisfaction of learning in nursing students? The primary theories that support this research study are the National League of Nursing (NLN) reflective simulation framework and the National Education Simulation Framework. A total of 24 nursing students participated in the study. The researcher assigned half of the participants (n = 12) to the control group and completed one low-fidelity simulation. The other half of the participants (n = 12) were assigned to the test group and completed a second low-fidelity simulation. The results showed that, the test group did not differ from the control group on critical thinking, student self-confidence, or student satisfaction. Therefore, the researcher failed to reject hypotheses H01, H02, and H03. A larger sample size would increase the validity, reliability and generalizability of the study. Additionally, another option for further research would be to conduct this study again utilizing a mixed method or quantitative comparative design.The researcher would also like to utilize the NLN Clinical Reasoning tool for future studies in lieu of The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking tool.