In Arab countries, many nursing schools rely heavily on simulation-based activities to provide experiential learning to male students with regards to maternal and child care; however, no study has been conducted to explore their experiences with such simulation training.
To describe the experiences of male nursing students who were exposed to high-fidelity simulation training related to maternity and child care.
Methods:
This qualitative study was guided by Husserl’s approach to phenomenology, and was aimed at revealing, uncovering and understanding the life experiences of Arab male nursing students who were exposed to high-fidelity simulations as part of a maternity nursing course. A purposive sampling was used to select a group of 4th year male nursing students who were registered in the maternity course. The data was collected using focus groups through the use of a structured interview with 15 Arab male nursing students. A thematic analysis technique by Braun and Clarke (2006) served as a framework for the data analysis.
Results:
Thematic analysis revealed four essential themes: gained competency; compensation for missed clinical experience; overcoming of cultural or religious barriers; and challenges related to the use of simulation technologies. This study recorded the experiences of Arab male nursing students attending maternity nursing simulations in a public university in Oman. The findings of this qualitative study suggests, through simulation, the students were able to acquire the competency required in their maternity course, reporting retention of nursing knowledge and skills. In particular, many students identified the debriefing sessions as being useful because these significantly improved their clinical judgment.
Conclusion: High-fidelity simulation can be a viable option to clinical training for enhancing Arab male nursing student competencies when providing maternal and child nursing care, which are often not available in the clinical area or are considered to be off limits due to cultural or religious reasons. In addition, male nursing students should be offered opportunities to discuss their thoughts, feelings and concerns that result from the unique challenges that they can encounter in maternity-related clinical settings.