Effects of multi-mode simulation learning on nursing students' critical thinking disposition, problem solving process, and clinical competence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of multi-mode simulation learning on critical thinking disposition, on the problem solving process and on clinical competence of nursing students. Methods: A nonequivalent control group with pre-posttest was designed. The participants in this study were 65 students who were enrolled in an emergency and critical nursing course at N university. The treatment group consisted of 33 juniors in 2010 and the control group 32 juniors in 2011. Collected data were analyzed using chi-square, independent t-test, and ANCOVA with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 for Window Program. Results: There were significant increases in problem solving process and clinical competence in the treatment group who participated in the multi-mode simulation learning compared to the control group who did not (t=-2.39, p=.020; F=12.76, p=.001). However, there were no significant differences in critical thinking disposition between the treatment and control group (t=0.40, p=.692). Conclusion: Multi-mode simulation is an effective teaching and learning method to enhance the problem solving process and clinical competence of nursing students. Further exploration is needed to develop and utilize multi-mode simulation for diverse scenarios, depending on emergency nursing educational goals and environments and to develop a universal method to measure outcomes.