Male nursing students' experiences of simulation used to replace maternal-child clinical learning in Qatar

In today's health care context, nurse educators teach with limited clinical placement availability, competition for available spaces and increasingly complex clients. As part of the baccalaureate of nursing program at the University of Calgary in Qatar, students are required to complete 208 h of maternal-child clinical. Unfortunately, due to social and cultural norms in this predominantly Muslim country, male nursing students are prohibited from practicing with mothers and babies in Qatar. In order to address this need, we developed a fully simulated clinical practice module for these male students. The aim of the current study was to better understand the learning experiences of the students undertaking this experience. The authors developed and implemented a fully simulated, campus-based, maternity clinical experience that used a variety of levels of fidelity, incorporated the tenets of Kolb's (1984) experiential learning theory, and Jeffries' (2005) simulation design framework. Post-simulation debriefing sessions were recorded and transcribed. Typed weekly reflections were provided. All data was blinded. A convenience sample of ten adult, male participants was obtained. Using an inductive qualitative approach, researchers analyzed transcripts of debriefing sessions and reflective journals. The main themes were knowledge application, clinical judgement, communication, and crossing cultural barriers. Themes from this study can be used to support and/or change existing practices in a way that supports learner-centered, experiential teaching practices.