Effect of simulation on critical thinking, satisfaction and self-confidence of nursing students during care of pneumonic child

Background: The lack of chances in clinical practice during student learning has made simulation a necessary part of nursing courses. The aim was to investigate the effect of simulation on critical thinking, satisfaction and self-confidence of nursing students during care of pneumonic child. Subjects & Method: A quasi-experimental (non-equivalent control group design) was utilized. The study was conducted at Pediatric Nursing Lab in Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University. Simulation group consisted of 35 students who learned through using the simulation scenario besides traditional method. Control group consisted of 35 students who learned through using only the traditional method. Tools: Three tools were used in this study; critical thinking questionnaire, self-confidence in learning scale and satisfaction in learning scale. Results: Students in the simulation group had a significantly higher score of critical thinking, satisfaction and self-confidence compared to those in the control group (12 ± 1.6, 21.1 ± 1.5, 30.8 ± 2.5 Vs. 6.6 ± 2.2, 16.2 ± 4.3, 24.7 ± 4.4 respectively). Conclusion: The present study concluded that using the simulation scenario improved students' critical thinking, increased their self-confidence and reach higher satisfaction with highly statistically significant differences were found between the simulation and control groups. Recommendations: Simulation method should be used in other courses and staff should be trained in developing scenarios and applying them in their courses.