Effect of Simulation on the Development of Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students

Abstract

AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore the development of critical thinking for students who received instruction using high-fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) versus low-fidelity simulation (instructor-written case studies). BACKGROUND: Simulated patient care environments have become increasingly more sophisticated in nursing labs, with HFPS fast becoming the standard for laboratory teaching/learning. METHOD: A convenience sample of first-semester associate degree nursing students participated in this quasi-experimental study. One group of students received weekly HFPS patient simulations and the other group received weekly case studies. Both groups took a pre- and posttest using the Health Studies ReasoningTest. RESULTS: Both groups showed an increase in critical thinking skills; however, there was no statistically significant difference between the HFPS and case study groups. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that high- and low-fidelity simulations are both associated with increases in critical thinking scores.