Nursing students have improved probability of learning and retaining knowledge with use of simulation experience. In simulation, every student has the opportunity to gain experience before embarking on clinical training in the field, where experience can be limited. Furthermore, simulation exercises can be customized to fit individual learning styles while still training nursing students on the same objective and reaching the same outcome.
Theoretical and conceptual learning may be difficult for some students, making them slow to move into practice with a live patient. A nursing student's experience in simulation allows the student to apply the theory and concepts learned in the classroom. Doing so gives the nurse a practical understanding of the theories taught in the classroom and transforms understanding into a practical skill. The transition from classroom to clinic moves more smoothly for those students who have had experience through simulation.
Simulation experience gives nursing students the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes without risk to patients. Nurses benefit from the opportunity to practice new skills repeatedly. Novice nurses learn to recognize patterns and prioritize patient care needs through computer simulations. Expert nurses can safely exercise creativity in treating patients and validate their intuition where a patient's life is not at stake.
Diagnosis and treatment of patients is improved in accuracy for nursing students who have experienced simulation practice. Nurses are more likely to accurately recognize any changes in a patient's condition, which is most useful in critical-care scenarios. Nurses are also able to better evaluate the need for and effectiveness of nursing intervention.