Simulated actor patients support clinical skill development in undergraduate nurses: A qualitative study

Abstract
Nursing students have limited exposure to critical clinical events making it difficult for them to decide what actions to take when a patient deteriorates. Furthermore, they are often unaware of the impact their actions have on the patient in their care. This qualitative study explores volunteer simulated patient actors’ contribution to developing nursing students’ clinical skills from the patient actors’ perspective within a simulation learning environment. A focus group interview was held with four volunteer simulated patient actors four weeks after the simulation. Data were collected and analysed using the principles of thematic analysis producing five themes; 1) interactions with students; 2) communication; 3) providing realism; 4) student engagement; and 5) feedback to students. Working with actor patients during simulation, with feedback after each simulation, is a valuable educational strategy that immediately communicates significant information to nursing students about their practice.

Ngā ariā matua
He ruarua ngā tūponotanga mai o ngā āhuatanga haukoti oranga ki ngā ākonga tapuhi, ā, he mea tēnei e uaua ai tā rātou whakatau tikanga, whiriwhiri ara tika ina heke ohorere tētahi tūroro. Waihoki, he maha tonu rātou kāore i te mārama ki te pānga o ā rātou mahi ki te tūroro e tiakina nei e rātou. Tā tēnei rangahau kounga he tūhura i te āwhina a ngā kaiwhakaari whakataruna tūroro i te whanaketanga pūkenga taurima mō ngā tapuhi paetahi, mā te titiro a ngā kaiwhakaari tūroro, i tētahi horopaki ako whakataruna. I kawea tētahi uiuinga rōpū arotahi ki ētahi kaiwhakaari whakataruna tūroro tokowhā, e whā wiki i muri i te whakataruna. I kohia he raraunga, ā, i tātaritia hoki mā te whakamahi i ngā mātāpono o te tātari kāwai, i puta ai ētahi kāwai e rima 1) ngā pahekotanga ki ngā ākonga; 2) te whakawhiti kōrero; 3) te hanga ao tūturu te āhua; 4) te tuitui i te akonga kia hono mai; me 5) te urupare ki ngā ākonga He rautaki whai whakaako whai hua te mahi tahi me ngā kaiwhakaari tūroro i roto i te whakataruna, me te rapu urupare i muri i ia wāhanga, e whakawhitia ai ētahi mōhiotanga hira ki ngā ākonga tapuhi mō ā rātou mahi.

Keywords / Ngā kupu matua
actor patients / tūroro kaiwhakaari; clinical skills / ngā pūkenga taurima; nursing students / ngā ākonga tapuhi; simulation / te whakataruna; thematic analysis / te tātaritanga kāwai