Clinical Competency: Simulation Compared with Lectures in Training Registered General Nursing (RGN) at Time of Completion of Program—A Systematic Review

Background: Advancing the science of nursing education through technology into teaching and learning is essential to prepare nurses for the changing healthcare environment. Objective: To synthesise evidence in nursing students’ competency in the clinical setting immediately after completion of training with simulation compared with lectures. Methods: Databases were sourced electronically from CINAHL and PubMed using keywords Simulation, lecture, clinical competency and new graduates. Study Eligibility Criteria, Participants and Interventions: Published articles addressing the research objectives, written in English, spaning between September 2010 and March 2019 directly answer the PSCOT question with results applicable to the population specific-nursing students, simulation was utilized. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Extracted data from sorted studies were analysed and assessed for quality using the John Hopkins Evidence-Based Appraisal Tools. Results: The two-database yielded 520 articles, 10 met the eligibility criteria. Findings documented three important themes: 1) Clinical competence among nurses; 2) Medical residents’ clinical competence and 3) Was about the competence of anaesthesiology residents. Limitations: The identified studies used small sample sizes ranging from 20 to 98 participants in the single research studies. Conclusions: The review of the literature found that the active teaching strategy of simulation was more effective in promoting clinical competency in nursing students compared with the lecture method. The evidence-based teaching project proposes the use of simulation as the primary teaching method to improve the clinical competency abilities of registered general nursing (RGN) diploma students.