Content Analysis on the Experience of Simulation Practice in the Care of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

This qualitative study analyzed the reflective experiences of undergraduate nursing students who participated in simulation-based practice for atrial fibrillation patient care, in order to understand the meaning and essence of their experiences. The purpose of the study was to identify the underlying structural meanings of these experiences and to provide foundational data for the development of programs aimed at enhancing nursing professionalism. The study involved 61 nursing students who experienced clinical practice at a nursing college located in G city, and it was designed to include pre-lectures, pre-briefing, recording, and debriefing. Reflective journals on debriefing were written by providing a structured questionnaire to describe the learning experiences. The collected data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Based on the students’ experiences, four categories and eleven subcategories were derived. The central categories identified were: “Adaptive clinical reasoning reasoning accompanied by distress,” “Self-growth through the process of practical knowledge exploration,” “Challenges in executing planned nursing intervention,” and “Reflection on integrated nursing situations.” Participants experienced moments of integrative thinking necessary for comprehensive nursing care through simulation training. These results are expected to enhance nursing students' understanding of their experience with simulation training for atrial fibrillation patients and provide a foundation for developing and implementing diverse simulation training programs by exploring the processes of cognitive and behavioral change resulting from this experience.