Instructor comfort level in high-fidelity simulation

Abstract

Background: The literature in the use of simulation in nursing education has expanded significantly over the past 5-10 years. What it is like as an instructor who facilitates this experience is largely unexplored. This paper is part of a larger ethnographic study, and represents findings related to the comfort level of instructors facilitating in high-fidelity simulation (HFS).

Objectives: The question of what is it like to engage in simulated clinical experiences as an instructor is presented in this paper.

Design and participants: Twenty instructors participated in two separate focus groups and two instructors participated in individual interviews. The average years of nursing experience for this group was over 20 years, whereas the number of years of experience as a clinical instructor was less than five years.

Methods: Ethical approval was obtained from two academic institutions. A focused ethnography was conducted and included two terms of participant observations, recorded field notes, individual interviews and focus groups. Data was coded and then sorted for themes related to the instructor experience.

Results: The primary results focus on the comfort level of instructors in HFS, and what instructors believe this meant to student learning in HFS.

Conclusions: What the instructor does during HFS and how they feel about their ability to facilitate HFS has a perceived effect on student learning.

Keywords: Comfort level; High-fidelity simulation; Instructor confidence.