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

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 Reasoning Test. 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.