Using the Debriefing With Good Judgment Model to Create a Simulation for Handling Difficult Communications

Transitions to different nursing practice roles provide stress and anxiety for the novice potentially leading to attrition and expense to organizations (Latham, Ringl, & Hogan, 2011). Although mentoring can assist in successful role transitions, nurse preceptors commonly describe a lack of mentoring communication skills. Development of these mentoring communication skills requires formalized training ((Cho, Ramanan & Feldman, 2011; Eller, Lev & Feurer, 2014; Wolak, McCann, Queen, Madigan & Letrak, 2009). Effective interpersonal skills are also necessary for effective interprofessional collaboration and teamwork among health care professionals. Certain mentoring communication skills such as patience, open communication, mutual respect and trust and sharing of knowledge are skills which also enhance interprofessional communications. Simulation has been shown to be an effective means for health care professionals to learn these communication skills (Jeffries, Beach, Decker, Dlugasch, Groom, Settles, & O’Donnell, 2011; Doyle, Copeland, Bush, Stein, & Thompson, 2011; Norgaard, Ammentorp, Kyvik & Kofoed, 2012). Simulation has also been shown to effectively increase knowledge, critical thinking ability, satisfaction in learning experience and self-efficacy in nursing education (Cant & Cooper, 2009; Franklin & Lee, 2014). Rudolph, Simon, Rivard, Dufresne, & Raemer’s (2007) Debriefing with Good Judgment Model has been commonly utilized for debriefing at the end of simulations. This model was utilized to develop a communication skills simulation for use with nurse practitioner preceptors with the goal of improving their mentoring communication skills when handling difficult communications. A convenience sample of 15 nurse practitioner preceptors divided into groups of 4 attended a two-hour simulation session centered on three difficult communication areas. Comfort level in handling situations related to defensiveness, incivility and disrespect was evaluated pre-post simulation. Findings indicated that the use of a communication simulation as a continuing education opportunity for preceptors may be beneficial in improving skills. Participants reported the use of the Debriefing with Good Judgment Model as an effective tool in handling difficult communications between preceptors and preceptees (Murray & Buckley, 2017).