Simulation Training Increases Dietetic Students' Self-Efficacy Prior to Clinical Supervised Practice

Simulation has rarely been used or studied in the dietetics profession, despite its beneficial effects on students and its widespread usage in other healthcare disciplines including nursing and medicine. This study examined the effect of simulation training on dietetics students' self-efficacy before supervised clinical practice. A pretest-posttest design was conducted during the fall of the 2015-2016 (n=20) and 2016-2017 (n=22) academic years. Students completed 120 hours of simulation training with manikin (SimMan) under the supervision of a panel of three Registered Dietitians. Ten previously validated case studies were used for the simulation training. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a statistically significant increase in students' median self-efficacy, following the simulation course, was observed. This study supports the use of simulation training with dietetics students to prepare them for supervised clinical practice.Thesis (M.S., Family and Consumer Sciences) -- University of Idaho, 201