Impact of a standardized patient simulation on undergraduate nursing student knowledge and perceived competency of the care of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia

Background

Undergraduate nursing students may not have the opportunity to assess and intervene with a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia during their clinical rotation. Provision of a standardized patient simulation experience affords students this opportunity in a safe setting without risk to the patient or student.

Methods

A quasi-experimental design was utilized to explore the impact of the addition of a standardized patient simulation scenario depicting a patient with a diagnosis of schizophrenia on undergraduate nursing student knowledge and perceived competency.

Results

The mean values for perceived competence and knowledge increased significantly over the three time periods (p?<?0.001).

Conclusion

The results suggest that incorporating SP simulation into the undergraduate psychiatric mental health nursing course has the potential to enhance both knowledge and perceived competency of students in caring for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and ultimately promote better healthcare outcomes.