Paramedic students' confidence and satisfaction with clinical simulations of an emergency medical care programme in South Africa: A cross-sectional study.
Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2021-01-01 · Observational study
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in the use of clinical simulations as instructional tools in healthcare education. This is because of their role in ensuring patients' safety and quality-care provision. AIM: This study investigated the paramedic students' satisfaction and self-confidence in the clinical simulation of an emergency medical care programme. SETTING: The study was conducted at the Durban University of Technology in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The paramedic students' satisfaction and self-confidence in the clinical simulation of an emergency medical care programme were the focus of the study. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional research design. A convenience sampling method was used to select the 83-paramedic students who participated in the study. Data were collected between July and September 2017 using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages and Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient) and an inferential test, ordinal logistic regression analysis, were used for data analysis. RESULTS: High levels of paramedic students' satisfaction and self-confidence in simulation activities were reported. Generally, the paramedic students' demographics were associated with the satisfaction and self-confidence variables with p-values ≤ 0.04. Emergency medical care training undertaken by the paramedic students was significantly associated with self-confidence (p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Clinical simulation can bridge the theory-practice gap for paramedic students. It is a hands-on approach that promotes students learning of clinical skills through reflection.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Clinician perspective · Students
Related articles
- Comparison of manikin-based simulators and patient monitor simulators within paramedic education: the student perspective. (BMJ Simul Technol Enhanc Learn, 2018)
- Relationships between cognitive appraisals of threat and challenge, psychophysiological responses, and clinical performance during high-stress simulated osces. (BMC Med Educ, 2025)
- An in-Depth Examination of the Characteristics of Pre-Hospital Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Among Emergency Medicine Residents in Laos as Part of an Overseas Elective Rotation. (Adv Med Educ Pract, 2023)
- The Impact of Mindfulness on Stress and Resilience During Military Medical Field Exercises. (Mil Med, 2026)
- Simulation-based education as a provider of fieldwork insights - experiences of ambulance nurse specialist students. (BMC Nurs, 2023)
- Mental Workload and Handover in Paramedics and Paramedicine Students Following Simulated Emergency Responses: Pilot Study. (Simul Healthc, 2026)