Perception Of Undergraduate Nursing Students Towards Simulation-Based Education At Selected Colleges Of South Gujarat: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Simulation-based education (SBE) has emerged as an effective pedagogical tool to connect the world of academia with the working environment in nursing education. It offers students opportunities to practice clinical skills in a safe, structured environment without compromising patient safety. The purpose of this study is to find out the perception of undergraduate nursing students concerning the implementation and effectiveness of SBE in their academic curriculum. A cross-section of non-experimental and observational survey design was carried out on students of nursing from selected colleges in South Gujarat. A total of 226 participants across  different  academic  years  were  acquired  through  a  probability   stratified   sampling method. Data were chosen through a self-structured tool, designed to capture perceptions on a 5-point Likert scale. The results revealed that students have a favourable perception toward SBE, recognizing it as a beneficial supplement to conventional learning methods. The finding reveals strong connection between perception levels along with the demographic variables of the semester, age, and previous simulation experience at a 0.05 level of significance. Gender did not show a significant association with perception levels. The study highlights the importance of SBE in fostering clinical competencies and suggests practicing it as a routine component of nursing education.