Supporting the lecturer to deliver high-fidelity simulation

In response to a shortage of clinical practice placements for pre-registration nurses and midwives, nursing faculties have been examining alternative ways to support students to develop their clinical skills, with simulation being one of the more popular methods. In a nursing context, simulation is often used to replicate a clinical setting, such as a hospital ward or the patient’s home. Some universities have introduced clinical suites that enable replication of clinical environments and offer the use of human patient simulators to mimic patient-focused scenarios. This article describes a small informal review that aimed to identify how lecturers felt about simulation in one faculty using high-fidelity simulated scenarios to inform the development of a subsequent research study. The results indicate that although many staff use simulation and believe it is a beneficial approach to learning, many also lack confidence and do not feel sufficiently prepared in its use. Most participants felt that the development of a simulation module for lecturers would increase their confidence.