Does simulation lab increase confidence in Occupational Therapy Students' clinical skills: A pilot study

Research Objectives: To assess the impact of clinical simulation teaching modalities on OT student performance and confidence with clinical judgment and skills

Design: 1 group pre-test/post-test with parallel mixed methods

Setting: Health professions simulation lab in a US Midwestern University

Participants: Criterion Sampling. Fifty-eight 3rd semester OT students participating in a simulation lab.

Interventions: Six weekly simulation experiences of increasing complexity addressing clinical judgment and skills. Prior to each simulation, students reviewed a case and created a clinical plan. Plans were reviewed with faculty prior to beginning the simulation experience. A post-experience debrief was completed with the standardized patient and faculty member.

Main Outcome Measures: The Acute Care Confidence Survey along with open-ended space for student comments was administered pre and post. Total scores and each subscale score (manual skills/clinical judgment/mobility/instruction) were calculated. Students’ comments were analyzed for qualitative themes.

Results: The repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant effect of time (F=73.9,p < 0.001). Univariate tests indicated a significant increase in confidence for the total score and all subscales (all p< 0.001). Total score+32,SD=13 and individual subscale scores: Manual skills+19,SD=18; judgement+35, SD=14; mobility+33,SD=17; instruction+36,SD=17
The primary theme observed was students recognized an improvement in performance on the individual skills addressed in survey questions. Students also acknowledged growth and the benefit of more practice.

Conclusions: Weekly simulation experiences that include a debrief on clinical judgment and skills are an effective teaching modality to improve the confidence of OT students. This study showed an increase in confidence in manual skills but a greater increase in confidence in judgment, mobility, and instructional skills. These results align with our curricular emphasis on manual skills for specific populations and culminating clinical decision-making activities occurring during simulated experiences. The demand for real-time decision-making is an important component of student learning instead of paper case-only assignments. We find the students’ comments on the need for more practice encouraging since they still have one more didactic semester followed by 6 months of fieldwork to meet expectations of entry-level skills

Author(s) Disclosures: No conflicts