Teaching palliative care skills via simulation-based learning

Background:The scarcity of palliative care (PC) services in Morocco, and their absence in Settat, limits the opportunities for nursing students at the Higher Institute of Health Sciences (HIHS) to benefit from clinical placements. As a consequence of this, most students feel underprepared to care for patients with PC needs. Aim: The purpose of this study is to share a simulation-based learning experience in a PC context and to evaluate the effectiveness of this learning method. Methods: The simulation experience took place in the simulation centre of the HIHS and involved 20 nursing students in their second year. The main goal of the simulation session was to simulate the support given to patients going through the five stages of grief. A post-simulation survey was conducted to explore the nursing students reflections on this learning experience. Findings: The simulation is recommended as a powerful learning approach to compensate for the lack of PC clinical placements available to nursing students. Conclusion: The simulation-based training was an excellent opportunity for nursing students to experience caring for patients in extreme end-of life-situations, which was not possible before due to the lack of specialised PC services.