Medical simulation as a method of practical training in the opinion of nursing students

Introduction. SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has necessitated changes in practical training of nursing students. Classes previously conducted in a hospital environment were moved to a medical simulation center.Aim. The purpose of the study was to discover opinions of undergraduate nursing students on practical training using the medical simulation method.Material and methods. A total of 317 undergraduate nursing students participated in the survey. The research tool was authors' own diagnostic survey. Participation in the study was anonymous and voluntary. It was conducted between April and May 2022. All correlations were assumed to be statistically significant when p <= 0.05.Results. When it comes to 76.7% of respondents, they claimed that medical simulation classes developed their soft skills and 89.3% of respondents believe that participation in medical simulations facilitated their ability to perform patient care tasks during practical classes. Higher sense of self-efficacy is correlated with higher evaluation of the classes.Conclusions. Through the classes at the medical simulation center, a completely new environment was created to support the practical learning of nursing students. Results of the study highlight positive effects of learning that solidify students' knowledge and improve their skills.