A Comparison of Nursing Students' Satisfaction and Self Confidence in Learning Medication Administration Using Simulation

Background: Simulation is a technique that uses a situation or environment which is created to allow individuals to experience a representation of a real event for the purpose of practice, learning, or to gain understanding of systems or human actions (http://sirc.nln.org/). Students that are actively involved in simulation exercises are using a higher order of learning and decision making skills and critical thinking is reinforced (Jeffries, 2012).  Nursing students are taught many skills that they are expected to retain and utilize throughout their program.  Medication administration is a common intervention in the nursing care of patients and is considered a high volume, high risk process.  Simulation may be a method of instruction that results in better perceived student learning that in turn, may result in improved student learning outcomes.

 

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, comparative, correlational study was to evaluate if students were satisfied and felt confident with learning the skills of safe medication administration using current teaching strategies in the Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice course (discussion and hands on activities) and Adult Health Nursing course (discussion, hands on activities and simulation) and to compare differences between students in these two courses. 

 

Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Prelicensure nursing students enrolled in the Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice course, first semester of the program and students enrolled in the Adult Health Nursing course, second semester of the program participated in their respective course’s medication administration skills lab in the Simulation Learning Center as assigned as part of their course work.  Upon completion of the skills lab, students were invited to participate in the study.  Students that were interested in participating were given a packet with the study information, demographic questions and survey questionnaire, the NLN Student Satisfaction and Self Confidence in Learning.  scale. 

 

Results: Preliminary results are being reported.  A total of 87 students voluntarily and anonymously participated (Foundations N=48, Adult Health N=39). Students in the Adult Health Nursing course which used simulation, had a higher mean score (M=23.87, SD=1.88) than students in the Foundations course (M=22.58, SD=2.29) on satisfaction with learning.  However, students in the Adult Health Nursing course had a lower mean score on self-confidence in learning (M=34.54, SD=3.38) than students in the Foundations course (M=35.20, SD=3.28).