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Research Article: Korean Nursing Students’ Experiences of Virtual Simulation Programs Replacing In-Person Mental Health Nursing Practicum during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Date Published: 2024-03-19

Abstract:
This qualitative study explored the experiences of nursing students whose clinical practice in mental health nursing had been substituted with virtual simulation programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were ten nursing students who had undergone a virtual simulation program-centered practice, replacing the traditional clinical practice in mental health nursing and previous clinical practice in mental health nursing. The data were collected through in-depth individual interviews from January to February 2021. Following Braun and Clarke’s method, the thematic analysis identified five themes and ten sub-themes. The five themes included the following: (1) lack of vibrancy in the actual clinical setting, (2) limited direct and indirect practical experience, (3) performing diverse roles in a virtual setting, (4) learner-directed practicum, and (5) sense of relief due to a safe virtual practicum environment. The participants recognized the limitations of the practice, particularly regarding communication with patients with mental disorders in the virtual simulation program. However, their perception of nursing underwent a positive change through the indirect clinical practice experience. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a platform for the mental health nursing practicum that can easily interact with clients and to establish a hybrid practice that combines the clinical practice and virtual simulation practice.

Introduction:
Nursing is an applied discipline that integrates clinical practicum with theoretical knowledge, empowering students with the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for developing a professional identity as a nurse [1]. Clinical practicum is a critical component of nursing education that enables students to experience socialization in a clinical setting and acquire the core values, behaviors, and attitudes of the nursing profession [2]. Additionally, clinical practicum offers nursing students the…

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