Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap in Nursing Education using the Simulation-based Pedagogic Approach in Ghana

Abstract

Pedagogical accuracy influences the development of instructional methods to guide and assist instructors in carrying out their roles, which has an impact on teaching and learning. Unfortunately, it appears that there is a lack of commitment in Ghanaian nursing education to making provisions for the use of accurate instructional methods in health training institutions which compel nurse educators in public nursing training colleges to use outdated models and conduct clinical skills in classrooms using instruments from the skills laboratory. We argue in this paper that the theory-practice gap is growing in nursing and is not getting the attention it deserves. We observe that nursing education has evolved, and the use of antiquated techniques in developing the clinical skills of the nurse trainee should give way to a method that takes advantage of modern technology. The data for this paper were gathered from secondary sources and the experiences of nurse educators using the desk review approach. The study concludes that public nursing training colleges concerned with providing high-quality nursing education should invest in simulated practical teaching in a high-quality laboratory.

Keywords: simulation, nursing education, pedagogy, skills laboratory

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/102-02

Publication date:September 30^th 2022