Abstract
This study aimed to consider the appropriateness of “environmental adjustment” as an introductory theme for simulation-based learning in basic nursing education. We analyzed reflective reports on the simulation exercise of eight second-year nursing students who had limited opportunities for face-to-face classes on nursing skills due to coronavirus disease-2019. The simulation exercise was conducted in a training room that replicates beds and surroundings in general wards, with three groups of six students and one faculty member per booth. The faculty member played the role of facilitator and simulated patient, and each booth ran the simulation for a total of 140 minutes. Results of analysis of reflective reports indicated that students not only prepared the environment of care through situation-based training in the theme of environmental adjustment but also made meaning of the environment in which the patient was placed, observed the patient from physical and mental aspects, and gained insight into their condition, perceptions, and values from what they observed. These observations and insights are required as the foundation of all nursing skills. In addition to these learning effects, the characteristics of environmental adjustment as a low-stress technology suggest that it is suitable as an introductory theme for simulation-based learning in basic nursing education.
