Simulation in nursing and midwifery education (2018)

Simulation has been used widely in the clinical training of health-care students and professionals. It is a valuable strategy for teaching, learning and evaluating clinical skills at different levels of nursing and midwifery education. Literature shows that simulation in nursing and midwifery education provides benefits for both students and patients and can be used to train health professionals about safer and timeous interventions that comply with international recommendations, thereby increasing students’ responsibility towards clinical practice and improving overall quality of care.

This guide aims to support nursing and midwifery educators who want to initiate the use of simulation as an educational strategy. It offers an overview of the main features of simulation, defines key concepts, provides the rationale for simulation, identifies types of simulation, and explains how simulations should be planned, implemented and evaluated. It also provides some recommendations for educators and managers who wish to use simulation in nursing and midwifery curricula or in continuous/in-service education and training.