Experiences of Nursing Students in Observer Roles During Simulation-Based Learning and the Impact on Patient Safety: A Scoping Review

During simulation experiences, nursing students are often split into observer and participant roles. The ability of students to meet learning objectives while assigned to the observer role in simula-tion has not been widely discussed. Guided by the frameworks developed by the Joanna-Briggs Institute and Arksey and O'Malley, a scoping review of the literature was conducted to explore nursing students' experiences in the observer role during simulation. Four electronic databases were searched for eligible studies published from the inception of each database to June 2022. Four studies were identified during the literature search; however, no relevant grey literature was found. From the studies, three themes were identified, including (a) observer comfort level, (b) attention and awareness, and (c) well-defined directed observer role. Enhancing the experience of observer students during simulation and explicitly explaining the purpose of the observer role, along with assigning clear responsibilities to the student, can aid in the achievement of learning outcomes and promote patient safety.