Abstract:
Simulation has been identified as an effective approach for preparing nursing students to transition from theory to practice. It is widely accepted that high-fidelity patient simulation has a positive impact on student learning and decision-making abilities. Computer-based simulation may be an effective alternative to the high cost of high-fidelity patient simulators. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine if the use of an interactive computer simulation video had an impact on the clinical judgment of undergraduate nursing students. This study also examined whether there was a relationship between students’ demographic and academic characteristics and their clinical judgment scores. A sample of 50 community college associate degree nursing students participated in this study. The students were placed into experimental (N=18) and control (N=32) groups. An interactive computer-simulation video was the intervention used for the experimental group. An independent samples t test was conducted to compare group findings. All participants completed a demographic/academic form including age, GPA, current working hours, and previous degrees to examine if a relationship existed between demographic and academic variables and clinical judgment scores as measured by the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric. The study found no significant differences in clinical judgment scores between students who used the interactive computer-simulation video and those who did not. The study also did not find any relationship between student demographic and academic variables and clinical judgment scores.
