Critical thinking among RN-to-BSN distance students participating in human patient simulation

Simulation is a strategy increasingly being used to promote critical thinking skills among baccalaureate nursing (BSN) students. It has been used to a limited extent with RN-to-BSN students, many of whom take their educational program through distance delivery. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the critical thinking of distance RN-to-BSN students who participated in a simulation designed with interactive questions. Students taking the program, either by live televised broadcast (educational television [ETV]) or by online instruction, participated in the simulation. The ETV student simulation was facilitated from a broadcast studio by faculty, whereas Internet students completed the simulation by DVD. Postsimulation students participated in debriefing sessions, which were audiotaped by ETV students and completed by Internet students using a Blackboard® discussion board. Data were analyzed using Scheffer and Rubenfeld's conceptualization of critical thinking. Findings revealed that simulation used by distance delivery cultivated critical thinking in RN-to-BSN students.