Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Experiences in a Virtual Simulation Program as a Substitute for Clinical Practicum during the COVID-19 Pandemic

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a considerable challenge for education and clinical practicum for nursing students, requiring them to transition to virtual education. The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate nursing students’ learning experiences in a web-based virtual simulation program that replaced clinical practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study used a qualitative approach with ten senior nursing students who completed a web-based virtual simulation program as a substitute for clinical practicum at a university in South Korea. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using theme analysis by Braun and Clarke.

Results: Four main themes emerged from the interviews on nursing students’ learning experiences with a web-based virtual simulation program: 1) lacking a sense of reality; 2) indirect experience with various nursing roles; 3) learner-led nursing practicum; and 4) safe and comfortable learning environment. The nursing students reported difficulty handling complex problems with limited information in web-based virtual simulations, which were different than their previous practicum experience in real clinical settings. They also perceived that the program helped them recognize the specialty of nursing professionals and improved their critical thinking based on diverse simulations, which is difficult to learn from an observation-focused clinical practicum. In addition, students recognized the benefits of web-based virtual simulations in promoting clinical competence based on scientific knowledge through self-directed learning and flexible use of time.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that a web-based virtual simulation program may be an effective educational strategy that could augment or replace clinical nursing practicum, but there are limitations and weaknesses. This study provides basic data for introducing a new paradigm of practical training.