Within the context of Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) nursing curricula there is a requirement for simulation to provide experiential learning opportunities which support, engage, and enhance culturally safe practice for students as preparation for clinical placements and future graduate practice. Whilst international simulation standards exist, nursing education providers report it is often challenging to align simulation standards with current professional accreditation standards and frameworks. Currently there are no framework supporting simulation educators to align simulation curricula to validated simulation and professional accreditation standards, nor how to safely include ANZ First Nations perspectives and considerations to enhance cultural competence. Preparation of students for practice via simulation pedagogy could be strengthened by clear alignment to frameworks and accreditation standards.
The aim of the presentation is to report on the development and preliminary pilot outcomes of the Quality Simulation Assurance Framework (QSAFe) which comprises of an audit tool and supportive resources aligning elements of nursing simulation to the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice (HSSOBP), ANZ nursing professional, accreditation standards and First Nations perspectives. This multi-phase, multisite, work in progress project commenced in 2021. QSAFe development has occurred through robust analysis of the literature (Barlow et al., 2023; Ryan et al., 2023) and through a modified nominal group technique with in-depth qualitative analysis. Data collection for the pilot phase is currently being undertaken by nursing simulation educators working at Higher Education and health service organisations across metropolitan and regional areas in ANZ.
Developing QSAFe is an imperative next step in advancing simulation-based learning in ANZ nursing curricula and addressing program accreditors concerns regarding the inconsistent quality of simulation. It is anticipated that producing QSAFe and aligning it to existing standards and frameworks will be transferable and applicable to all healthcare professions.