Undergraduate Nursing Students' Ability to Apply Ethics in Simulated Cases

Abstract

BackgroundNursing faculty are often challenged to teach constructs to foster ethical growth to student nurses in a large classroom setting. Traditional classroom teaching strategies have historically not been effective. Our goal was to develop and evaluate the teaching effectiveness on the application of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics using four simulation-based scenarios to undergraduate nursing students via a learning management system. MethodsAfter classroom-based instruction, individual students (N = 93) reviewed four preprogramed simulated scenarios constructed with the collaboration of the theater department and senior-level students entitled The Teenage Pregnancy, The Impaired Nurse, Withholding Treatment, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After viewing the vignettes, feedback was solicited through a five-item Likert scale questionnaire. ResultsThe results from students revealed they were able to discern the ethical values of advocacy, autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence among others. ConclusionsThe data support that ethical growth was enriched using this course enhancement exercise suggesting that high-fidelity simulation using standardized patients may be a method of teaching large masses of prelicensure nursing students on how to address ethical quandaries that confront their patients in the delivery of their care. Refinement of tools and further inquiry is warranted. Although students overwhelmingly thought that their ability for engaging in therapeutic communication, their ability to recognize potential ethical issues, and their ability to feel more comfortable in approaching patients about ethical issues was enhanced, this exercise suggests that there remains much work in getting undergraduate nursing students to be proficient in this area.