Fluency in Nursing Education and Simulation: A Concept Analysis

AIM The aim of the study was to realign how nurses view simulation in nursing education as a means of facilitating fluency in knowledge and action to promote expertise in practice. BACKGROUND Nursing expertise is attained by translating complex phenomena across multiple representations and by constructing meaning through experience. Simulation provides learners the experiences necessary to develop fluency in thought and action. METHOD Procedures outlined by Hupcey and Penrod ( 2005) and Walker and Avant ( 2011) were used to identify uses, defining attributes, philosophical assumptions, contextual factors, and values of the concept. RESULTS Use of simulation to promote representational fluency in other disciplines fosters deep conceptual understanding and skillfulness, which prepares learners to perform with fluidity and expertise. CONCLUSION The association between representational fluency and simulation introduces nurse educators to a way of thinking about how novices learn to think and act like experts. Further research is recommended.