Simulation provides an opportunity for students to bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and clinical practice in safe and realistic learning environment (Jeffries, 2012). Providing a realistic environment in which there is no impact or threat to actual patients reduces student anxiety of causing patient harm (Luctkar-Flude et al, 2015) and creates a safe environment where students can concentrate efforts on personal learning (Raurell-Torreda, et al, 2015). Levett-Jones, Lapkin, Hoffman, Arthur, and Roche (2011) list the claimed benefits of simulation as students are actively involved in unpredictable, time-sensitive, and challenging clinical situations that they may only be able to observe in a real-life situation, learn from mistakes without patient harm, practice skills, participate in interprofessional communication and teamwork, and provide the opportunity for formative and summative assessments.
The purpose of this observational study was to examine the use simulation as a means of educating senior nursing students on cardiac arrest and student satisfaction with the simulation event.
Methods:
A pre-test/post-test cross-sectional observational study design was used for this project. Students participated in one cardiac code simulation in the morning followed by various other learning activities and then participate in a second cardiac code simulation at the end of the day. Students took a pre-test to quantify knowledge and then participated in one cardiac code simulation in the morning followed by various other learning activities and then participate in a second cardiac code simulation and the post-test along with surveys at the end of the day.
Results:
Students showed a significant increase in knowledge after participating in the cardiac code simulation (p<0.001) and demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with the simulation (M = 56.6, max score = 65, and M = 176, max score = 200).
Conclusion:
Students educated in cardiac codes with a high-fidelity simulation event demonstrate an increase in knowledge and report high satisfaction with the event. This may lead to improved patient safety. The hypothesis that students will have greater knowledge after participating in a cardiac code simulation proved to be true based on the results of this study. These findings are congruent with much of the research available on simulation in nursing students. Nursing students who participated in high-fidelity simulation to learn CPR demonstrated higher knowledge acquisition and retention than their counterparts (Aqel & Ahmad, 2014). Although there was not a control group, students scored signigicantly higher on the knowledge exam after participating in the cardiac code simulation. However, these findings are not always the case. One study found that although students had an increase in BLS knowledge after a simulation experience, there was not a significant difference between the control and experimental group (Akhu-Zaheya, Gaharaibeh, Alostaz, 2012).
Students also demonstrated high satisfaction scores regarding the simulation as well. This is also congruent with the current literature available on simulation. Students often experience higher confidence and self-efficacy after a simulation learning opportunity (Richardson & Claman, 2014). Many students seek out opportunities to participate in simulation experiences (Jeffries, 2012) and report high satisfaction rates (Chiang & Chan, 2014).