International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background and aim:

Choosing the right university and programme is crucial for aspiring nursing students and their families. With so many options available, it can be challenging to make an informed decision [1-3]. The aim of this initiative was to provide student nurse offer-holders and their parents/partners with an overview of the undergraduate nursing programme’s content, in an effort to encourage them to select the right university.

Activity:

The initiative was developed and conducted over six months (Dec 2022 - May 2023). It consisted of five Saturday morning sessions, each included taster lectures, clinical skills sessions, and simulations with actor role players. Offer-holders attended one rotation, while the parents/partners of offer-holders attended another rotation. The facilitated simulations were collaboratively designed by the University branch specialists and the education provider, and involved actor role players. In order to cover child, adult and mental health branches, for aspiring students, the scenario content was broad based and applicable to all. -

Scenario 1: Communication with relatives of a baby failing to thrive

Scenario 2: Communication with an adult patient and her husband

Both simulations were conducted as forum theatre and aligned with NHS values.

Findings:

Evaluation forms completed by potential nursing students and their parents/partners were overwhelmingly positive. Attendees reported that the sessions were informative and enjoyable, with the simulations being a particular highlight. The use of actor role players helped to make the simulations more realistic and engaging. Attendees felt that the sessions assisted them to better understand what to expect from the nursing programme, which would aid them in making a more informed decision about which university to choose.

Conclusion:

Offer holders and their families need to make an informed decision when choosing a nursing programme. The study showed that providing a comprehensive overview of the programme’s content through taster lectures, clinical skills sessions, and simulations can be an effective way to encourage students to select the right university. The use of actor role players in the simulations helped to create a realistic and engaging learning experience for attendees. Overall, this initiative highlights the importance of providing potential nursing students with the necessary information to make a decision about their education. By making an informed decision, the fit is likely to be right and the chances of attrition reduced. Further studies will be conducted by the university admissions teams to establish if these tasters assist with retention.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.