Date Presented 04/03/2025
Responses from graduate students suggest that high-fidelity simulations increase student satisfaction and confidence levels and, therefore, should be integrated into the OT graduate curriculum.
Primary Author and Speaker: Haley Blaney
Additional Authors and Speakers: Rachael Eads, Madelyn Spring, Raegan Schonhard, Claire Donahue
Contributing Authors: Ashley McKnight, Alexis Rau, Courtney Martin
BACKGROUND: The education that students in accredited graduate programs receive influences the quality of care they can provide later in their careers. In recent years, high-fidelity simulations have been incorporated into the curriculum for occupational therapy (OT) students. High-fidelity simulations (HFS) offer a high level of interactivity and realism for the learner, often using human patient simulators and taking place in realistic, mock clinical settings. Using real-life scenarios, like HFSs in the curriculum, students may feel adequately prepared to treat and educate clients with various conditions.
PURPOSE: Examine the effects of a HFS on OT students’ confidence in performing clinical skills and their satisfaction with the learning approach.
METHOD: Subjects (n=35) were first-year OT students recruited based on their participation in high-fidelity simulation. Participants completed the validated survey ‘Student Satisfaction and Confidence in Learning’ after completion of the HFS to reflect on their satisfaction with the simulation and confidence in their skills.
RESULTS: This study revealed a greater need for incorporating HFSs into graduate curriculum. When participants were asked if the simulation provided them with a variety of learning materials and activities to promote their learning, 85.26% responded ‘strongly agree,’ and the remaining 14.7% responded ‘agree.’ 64.71% of participants reported ‘strongly agree’ when asked if they felt confident that they were developing the skills and obtaining the required knowledge from the HFS to perform necessary tasks in a clinical setting, and the remaining 35.3% responded ‘agree.’
CONCLUSION: Responses from 35 OT graduate students suggest that HFSs are beneficial for increasing students’ confidence levels in performing clinical skills and should be integrated into OT curriculum.
References
Ozdemir, N. G., & Kaya, H. (2023). The effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation methods to gain Foley catheterization knowledge, skills, satisfaction and self-confidence among novice nursing students: A randomized controlled trial. Nurse Education Today, 130, 105952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105952
Gibbs, D., & Dietrich, M., & Dagnan, E. (2017). Using high fidelity simulation to impact occupational therapy student knowledge, comfort, and confidence in acute care. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1225
