Socio-emotional competencies as predictors of performance of nursing students in simulated clinical practice.

Abstract

Socio-emotional competencies positively influence academic performance and clinical practice of students enrolled in a Nursing degree. However, there is a lack of studies that relate these competencies with performance in a high-fidelity clinical simulation training scenario. To analyze the relationship between socio-emotional competencies and performance in simulated clinical practices of a sample of 4th-year Nursing degree students. Transversal descriptive study conducted in Spain. A sample of 91 students enrolled in their last academic year of the Nursing degree, who were undergoing clinical practices along with simulation sessions. Socio-emotional competencies (communication skills, coping with stress, self-efficacy, engagement, etc.) were analyzed through the use of self-administered questionnaires and their performance in high-fidelity clinical simulation sessions. The socio-emotional competencies had a positive and statistically-significant correlation (p < 0.05) with performance in simulated clinical practices. A relationship between socio-emotional competencies and performance in simulated practices was observed [R2 = 0.502; F (20.55) = 2.827; p = 0.01]. The socio-emotional competencies of 4th-year nursing students were associated to their performance in simulated clinical practices.