Date of Award
10-13-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MSc in Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Laila Ladak
Second Advisor
Dr. Rubina Barolia
Third Advisor
Zahir Amir Ali
Department
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan
Abstract
Background: Simulation-based clinical education is an innovative educational pedagogy that enables nursing students to apply theoretical knowledge in a safe and structured learning environment. First-year undergraduate nursing students often encounter significant challenges during their first clinical placement in hospital settings. However, the effectiveness of ward-based simulation in bridging the preclinical and clinical practice gap among first-year nursing students in lower-middle-income countries remains underexplored, thus, this is the first of its kind study from Pakistan.
Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a ward-based simulation experience on students’ confidence and learning satisfaction among first-year nursing students at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental one-group pretest and posttest design was used, on a sample of 131undergradute nursing students enrolled in the Fundamentals of Nursing clinical course were recruited using total population sampling. The study was conducted in the Center for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) in Karachi, Pakistan. The wardbased simulation was designed for 70 minutes; students performed three nursing skills: history taking, vital signs, and ambulation of postoperative patients. The 13-items of Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning (SCLS) questionnaire was administered post-simulation (T1) and subsequently after six-weeks of post-clinical (T2) in hospital wards settings. The results were analyzed through descriptive statistics and a paired t-test using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. The ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee at Aga Khan University, Pakistan.
Results: The findings indicated a statistically significant improvement in students’ learning satisfaction (p< 0.047) and self-confidence (p< 0.000) from post-simulation to postclinical experiences. Overall, the study findings demonstrated that ward-based simulation is an effective teaching pedagogy that enhances nursing students’ preparedness for their first clinical practice, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
Conclusion: Ward-based simulation significantly enhanced undergraduate nursing students’ satisfaction and self-confidence in learning. It enabled them to apply knowledge gained from simulation experience to their first clinical practice in hospital settings. This study recommends the integration of simulation into clinical teaching within the undergraduate nursing curriculum, enhance faculty development, the establishing academic policies through nursing regulatory bodies to embed simulation across clinical courses. Moreover, and the adaptation of cost-effective, contextually relevant simulation models can enhance clinical education in lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Pakistan.
First Page
1
Last Page
113
Recommended Citation
Salim, S.
(2025). The effect of a simulated ward environment on confidence and learning satisfaction of first-year nursing students: A quasi-experimental study in Karachi, Pakistan. , 1-113.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/etd_pk_sonam_mscn/280