Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Students’ Perceptions of a Debriefing Experience After a Cardiac Emergency High-Fidelity Simulation: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Acute care nurse practitioners need specialized training to prepare for their advanced role. Limited research investigates acute care nurse practitioners’ leadership skills related to team dynamics and evidence-based practices. This study explored students’ perceptions of a simulation and debriefing experience and the effects of debriefing on their ability to transfer their leadership-related learning. A qualitative exploratory approach was used. Students (N = 28) were divided between a video-assisted debriefing group (n = 16) and a verbal debriefing group (n = 12). Focus group interviews were conducted in order to explore students’ experience of acting as team leader when managing emergency dysrhythmias during high-fidelity simulation code scenarios. Three themes emerged: leadership training, video-assisted debriefing and verbal debriefing, and transferability. This study adds valuable information about how simulation technology could be used in leadership skills learning by and training for nurse practitioners.