Implications for practice and research

• Simulation-based learning (SBL) design should be grounded in best practices, such as the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice™, to optimise the learner’s experience and self-confidence.

• Further research is needed to assess if another component of simulation design, a rigorous educational needs assessment, contributes to decreased anxiety in learners while increasing their self-confidence.

Context

SBL experiences are known to increase stress and anxiety in healthcare learners, including nursing students. High stress levels can impair decision-making, working memory, retrieval of information from memory and tasks requiring divided attention1 of learners in SBL. Facilitators of …