Learning Objective #1: Discuss the application of Social Cognitive Theory in a simulated clinical setting

Learning Objective #2: Discuss strategies for facilitating the processes of observational learning

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The simulated clinical experience (SCE) is a teaching-learning approach that engages the students' critical reasoning skills, immerses them in the waters of professionalism and creates opportunities for the development of competent therapeutic actions. This approach is based on social cognitive theory as proposed by Bandura (1986). According to the theory, most behavior is learned observationally or through modeling. Modeling is comprised of four processes, attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation. The SCE facilitates the student's journey through each of these processes. Faculty serve as engaging models exhibiting professional, competent and caring behaviors to be attended to by the student. Modeled behaviors include, but are not limited to, wearing appropriate attire and identification, communicating in a respectful and knowledgeable manner, performing therapeutic activities with competence, adhering to ethical principles, and promoting the importance of asepsis. Although observational learning may resemble the old wine of apprenticeship, the context in which it occurs is a new bottle. In this case, the new bottle is the laboratory milieu; designed to resemble an eleven-bed unit. Patient-manikins are assigned to a room, have medical records with culturally-diverse demographic data, wear identification bands and are interacted with and cared for as if real. Prior to entering the laboratory setting, students are expected to don a lab coat, dress in professional attire, wear an identification (ID) badge, and wash hands. Upon entering a patient-manikin's room, the student consistently introduces him/herself, addresses the patient by name, and checks the patient's ID band. To prepare for a SCE, relevant didactic content is presented, readings are assigned and students view a CD of the nursing activities modeled by a faculty. The modeled activities are accessible on computers located in each patient-manikin's room. This allows the student to observe the modeled behavior, reproduce it, and receive corrective feedback until mastery is achieved.