High-fidelity simulation for graduate athletic training students and impact on students’ learning experience

Abstract

High-fidelity simulation can contribute to healthcare education as an adjunct to real-world simulated experiences in a safe learning environment. While high-fidelity simulation has been widely used in healthcare for training and professional education, application in athletic training education remains primarily at the undergraduate level. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, the purpose of this paper is to gain a further understanding of entry-level master athletic training students’ perceptions following high-fidelity simulation when used to amplify real-world student educational experiences. Focus group interviews were conducted and gathered students’ perceptions of the experience. Eighteen participants (17 female, 1 male) completed focus group interviews. Data were analyzed through reading transcriptions, then summarizing data into codes which formed categories leading to the themes of master athletic training students’ perception of the high-fidelity educational experience. Trustworthiness was established using informal member-checking, prolonged engagement, rich thick description, and investigator triangulation. Four themes emerge from the participants’ experience: (1) skill application; (2) learning environment; (3) competence challenge; (4) communication and collaboration. High-fidelity simulation can be a valuable adjunct to an athletic training program’s skill practice and development leading to improvements in students’ confidence, communication and self-efficacy.