The perceived effectiveness of peer observation on scenario based training in 3rd year Nursing and Midwifery pre registration students.

Abstract

Introduction: Learning through observation has been used to teach clinical skills in nurse education, and it has been identified that students will learn both in active participation and as observers. ( Jeffries, 2005 and Rauen, 2004). The use of peer observation to increase both knowledge and skills is well documented. However the use of peer observation in nursing simulation is emerging and there is need to explore if this approach is beneficial. The aim of this study was to identify if peer observation is beneficial during simulation. Methodology: Participating students filled in a five point Likert scale based questionnaire following their first exposure to a simulation based training session which had been incorporated into their curriculum. The minimum score of 1 related to a “strongly disagree” response, whereas the maximum score of 5 related to a “strongly agree” response. Discussion: The results show that over all the majority of students expressed the view that they learnt from watching others do the scenario (84.2%) . However, these students were tested immediately after the scenario and the real benefits of transferring this knowledge to practice is unclear. It is also unclear if students are likely to learn negative aspects from observation.