Nurse educators’ views on implementation and use of high-fidelity simulation in nursing programmes

Background. Clinical skills development of student nurses is a concern in nursing education owing to limited clinical exposure and learning opportunities. High-fidelity simulation as a teaching-learning strategy creates an environment where student nurses develop clinical skills through interactive participation. Objectives. The aim of this research study was to explore nurse educators’ views of high-fidelity simulation as an educational approach in nursing programmes. Methods. A qualitative descriptive design was used. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Data saturation occurred within 19 interviews. The population consisted out of 33 ( N =33; n =19) nurse educators. Direct content analysis was done using Hsieh and Shannon’s approach. The study was conducted at a South African private higher education institution. Results. Five main themes were identified. The nurse educators had not been exposed to or had limited experience with high-fidelity simulation. Limited resources and/or the lack of nurse educators trained in high-fidelity simulation were identified. The nurse educators agreed that high-fidelity simulation would contribute to the enhancement of clinical skills development and theory and practice integration. Conclusion. High-fidelity simulation is not implemented owing to limited equipment or experience in using the equipment optimally. The nurse educators see high-fidelity simulation as a solution and valuable training method where clinical skills are developed before the student nurse is exposed to the private clinical environment.