Using simulation to adapt nursing education to times of crisis: A scoping review during Covid-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency pedagogical strategies, particularly distance learning, were crucial for ensuring continuous education. This study explores various simulation-based pedagogical interventions implemented for undergraduate nursing students during the pandemic. This scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) method. The research procedure was assessed using the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Ten databases were consulted, resulting in the inclusion of 37 relevant studies. A categorization of interventions followed by a thematic content analysis enabled the extraction of authors' conclusions regarding the implementation of their interventions. The research team identified five categories of simulation-based teaching: virtual simulation (n=16), telesimulation (n=12), simulation-based learning on campus (n=5), mixed online simulation (n=2), and guided home simulation (n=2). The adaptation of simulation-based education modes has helped foster student engagement, interaction, clinical practice, and self-confidence. The realism of the interventions, their high degree of interactivity, their adherence to best practice recommendations, and the teachers' awareness of the risk of a "digital divide" all contribute to these findings. Teaching under constraints during the pandemic has fostered educators’ creativity and adaptability. These skills should be promoted to maintain pedagogical continuity with resilient pedagogical interventions.