Traditional clinical training combined with high-fidelity simulation-based activities improves clinical competency and knowledge among nursing students on a maternity nursing course

Background: Providing adequate and quality clinical training to student nurses is a major issue in nursing education. In the Middle East, this issue is more prominent because providing intimate healthcare to women in maternity nursing, especially by male nursing students, remains a challenge. Purpose: This study compared the effects of a combination of traditional clinical training with high-fidelity simulation (TCT+HFS) activities vs TCT alone on the clinical competency and knowledge among students enrolled in a maternity nursing course in a Middle Eastern public university. Method: A quasi-experimental research design was adopted in the study. The sample consisted of 74 students (40 in the TCT group and 34 in the TCT+HFS group) from a cohort of nursing students in a Middle Eastern university. The Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument and a 29-item, researcher-designed knowledge scale was used to measure the relevant outcomes. Results: No significant difference was observed in the knowledge (F = 1.064, P = 0.306) or clinical competency scores (F = 0.168, P = 0.683) between the TCT+HFS group and the TCT group. Conclusion: Substituting 25% of the clinical hours with HFS may yield similar learning outcomes (knowledge and clinical competency) as TCT.