Impact of the Undergraduate Clinical Learning Environment on Maternal-Child Nursing Students' Self-Efficacy.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required nursing education to quickly transition from in-person clinical learning experiences to alternatives, including screen-based simulation. Evidence is lacking to support replacing in-person clinical hours with screen-based simulation. Guided by self-efficacy and deliberate practice theories, a voluntary, anonymous survey used the Obstetric Nursing Self-Efficacy Scale to evaluate the impact of screen-based simulation amount on nursing students' ( n  = 381) self-efficacy. A simple linear regression analysis revealed decreased self-efficacy as screen-based simulation hours increased ( p  < .001). Screen-based simulation should supplement in-person maternal-child clinical hours and not replace them.