Simulation Anxiety and its Effect on Clinical Judgment for Undergraduate Nursing Students

Background: High anxiety during simulation has been well documented with calls to reduce students' anxiety. Simulation anxiety is often assumed to be harmful to students and a variety of anxiety-reducing interventions have been suggested. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of different types of anxiety on the clinical judgment of undergraduate nursing students in simulation.Methods: This research used a one-group repeated measures quantitative design using the conceptual framework of Tanner's (2006) model of clinical judgment.Results: Anxiety did not have a significant impact on clinical judgment, both overall and within each of the four phases of Tanner's (2006) model.Conclusion: The findings imply a changed focus to reframe anxiety and how we think about its effects. Understanding that not all anxiety is debilitating but some is facilitative challenges the assumption that faculty need to attempt to lower students' anxiety in simulation. Rather than seeking to lower anxiety for all students, nursing educators should help students function despite anxiety, in order to prepare them for real world nursing practice.