Effects of Multilayered Simulation on Skill Acquisition in Associate Degree Nursing

There is a demand for an overhaul of undergraduate nursing education curricula to better prepare students who can provide safe, quality care in an increasing complex health care system. Simulation use has provided an avenue for nurse educators to consider when deciding appropriate and reliable teaching and learning strategies to guide students with little attention given to the effectiveness of novel approaches such as multilayered simulation. The aim of this study was to examine the use of multilayered simulation as an effective teaching method in nursing education. Kolb’s theory of experiential learning was used to guide this study. A quantitative, posttest-only design was employed to determine the effects of multilayered simulation when compared to the effects of a more traditional approach, specifically demonstration/return demonstration. Twenty-three first-year nursing students enrolled in a fundamentals course in an associate degree nursing program with no experience on how to obtain blood pressure measurements participated in this study. Participants were divided into two groups: a control group receiving a faculty-led demonstration on blood pressure measurement and an experimental group receiving multilayered simulation. Data were collected using a 29-item check-off tool with closed-ended, “met” or “not met” items. An independent samples t test and Bland Altman plots were used to analyze the resulting data. Although not statistically significant, data yielded comparable, accurate blood pressure measurements from both groups. Findings from this study have the potential to influence positive social change in nursing education by facilitating the integration of teaching strategies, like multilayered simulation, into undergraduate nursing education curricula