Bridging Bioscience to Practice: The Significance of Clinical Simulation Training for Novice Nursing Students.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate clinical simulation as a learning method to enhance the relevance of bioscience in nursing practice for novice nursing students.

Methods: This study utilizes a semi-experimental multi-method design involving 194 novice bachelor nursing students at a Norwegian university college, marking the program's inaugural simulation training. The students were divided into Group 1 and Group 2. Both groups underwent simulation-based training, but Group 2 received an additional extended debriefing where a bioscience specialist linked patient observations with physiological processes. Data collection occurred in two phases: quantitative data were collected on simulation day through a questionnaire and structured observation, and qualitative data from two reflection questions, supplemented with quantitative data from a questionnaire, were collected one week later.

Results: The findings revealed that students' emotional states are highly activated during simulation training. Despite this, the students reported that their overall simulation experience was positive. A deficiency in the use of bioscience terminology was identified during debriefing to explain observations, assessments, and actions. The students' reflections on the benefits from simulation training showed that it provides them with practical experience in visualizing real-world scenarios, fostering readiness for action as a nurse, and metacognition of their learning process. Moreover, the findings indicated that students in Group 2 (extended debriefing) were more inclined to incorporate bioscience terminology in their reflective responses, particularly considering the impact of bioscience knowledge on nursing practice.

Conclusion: Clinical simulation training provides novice nursing students with clinical experience and an opportunity to connect bioscience with practice. Although the students insufficiently used bioscientific concepts during debriefing, they evaluated the relevance of bioscience in practice highly. Our findings carry significant implications for structuring simulation training, emphasizing the necessity of specialists in both debriefing techniques and bioscience to bridge the gap between theory and practice.