Abstract
End-of-life (EOL) patient care is a challenging reality that nearly all nurses will face during their careers. Preparing nursing students for these situations can alleviate anxieties related to patient death (Venkatasalu et al., 2015). Simulation-based learning is an effective approach for teaching complex scenarios like EOL care (Cannity et al., 2021), with numerous studies highlighting improved confidence and competence in students who participate in EOL simulations (Gillan et al., 2014; Tamaki et al., 2019; Venkatasalu et al., 2015; Lewis et al., 2016; Jablonski et al., 2020). However, the lack of cross-cultural variations in death and dying highlights the need for culturally competent nurses (Northam et al., 2015).
This project aims to assess whether participation in culturally and spiritually diverse EOL simulations improves undergraduate nursing students' perceived competence in providing culturally inclusive EOL care.
Utilizing Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (1984), in the spring of 2025, 52 undergraduate juniors at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, enrolled in course NRSG 302, will participate and observe a simulated death experience involving three culturally distinct groups in the Central Minnesota area: Catholic Caucasian, Muslim Somali, and Mide Ojibwe. Creating a high-fidelity learning environment is key to providing students with an authentic experience that includes live actors, real culturally and spiritually distinct props, and high-tech geriatric mannequins to simulate the dying process. Pre- and post-simulation surveys will assess students' perceived competence in EOL care using the CARES Perceived Competence Measure 2.0 (AACN, 2021). Preliminary data has already shown improved perceived competence after students completed one EOL simulation in the spring of 2024.
This project is significant as it will provide insights into the effectiveness of EOL simulations in improving students' confidence and competence in EOL care. The results may support the integration of culturally diverse EOL simulations into nursing curricula to better prepare future nurses for diverse patient care scenarios. Further, the study could fill a gap in the current literature by providing data on cultural competence in EOL simulations, and it offers a foundation for future research and curriculum development that ensures nursing students are well-equipped to handle culturally diverse EOL situations.
Notes
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN]. (2021). Competencies and recommendations for educating nursing students (CARES): Preparing nurses to care for persons with serious illness and their families (2nd ed.). https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/ELNEC/PDF/ELNEC-Cares-and-G-CARES-2nd-Edition.pdf
Bobianski, K., Aselton, P., & Cho, K. S. (2016). Home care simulation to teach culturally based competencies in end-of-life care. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(1), 49–52. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20151214-12
Cannity, K. M., Banerjee, S. C., Hichenberg, S., Leon-Nastasi, A. D., Howell, F., Coyle, N., ... & Parker, P. A. (2021). Acceptability and efficacy of a communication skills training for nursing students: Building empathy and discussing complex situations. Nurse Education in Practice, 50, 102928.
Condry, H. M., & Kirkpatrick, A. J. (2021). Simulation in end-of-life nursing education: A literature review. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 59, 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.06.005
Gillan, P. C., Jeong, S., & van der Riet, P. J. (2014). End of life care simulation: A review of the literature. Nurse Education Today, 34(5), 766–774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2013.10.005
Jablonski, A., McGuigan, J., & Miller, C. W. (2020). Innovative end-of-life simulation: Educating nursing students to care for patients during transition. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 48, 68-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.08.009
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Lewis, C., Reid, J., McLernon, Z., Ingham, R., & Traynor, M. (2016). The impact of a simulated intervention on attitudes of undergraduate nursing and medical students towards end-of-life care provision. BMC Palliative Care, 15, 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-016-0143-2
Lippe, M., Davis, A., Threadgill, H., & Ricamato, A. (2020). Development of a new measure to assess primary palliative care perceived competence. Nurse Educator, 45(2), 106-110.
Northam, H. L., Hercelinskyj, G., Grealish, L., & Mak, A. S. (2015). Developing graduate student competency in providing culturally sensitive end of life care in critical care environments - a pilot study of a teaching innovation. Australian Critical Care: Official Journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses, 28(4), 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2014.12.003
Smith, M. B., Macieira, T. G. R., Bumbach, M. D., Garbutt, S. J., Citty, S. W., Stephen, A., Ansell, M., Glover, T. L., & Keenan, G. (2018). The use of simulation to teach nursing students and clinicians palliative care and end-of-life communication: A systematic review. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 35(8), 1140–1154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909118761386
Tamaki, T., Inumaru, A., Yokoi, Y., Fujii, M., Tomita, M., Inoue, Y., Kido, M., Ohno, Y., & Tsujikawa, M. (2019). The effectiveness of end-of-life care simulation in undergraduate nursing education: A randomized controlled trial. Nurse Education Today, 76, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.01.005
Venkatasalu, M. R., Kelleher, M., & Shao, C. H. (2015). Reported clinical outcomes of high-fidelity simulation versus classroom-based end-of-life care education. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 21(4), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2015.21.4.179
Sigma Membership
Kappa Phi at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Hospice, Palliative Care, End-of-Life, DEI/BIPOC, Competence, Nursing Education, Advances in Education, Simulation, Undergraduate Nursing Students, Cross-Cultural Variations
Recommended Citation
Olson, Jodi Kay; Pesch, Mary; and Keller-Dornbusch, Julie, "Culturally Diverse End-of-Life Simulation and Perceptions in Undergraduate Nursing Students" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 47.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/47
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-02
Culturally Diverse End-of-Life Simulation and Perceptions in Undergraduate Nursing Students
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
End-of-life (EOL) patient care is a challenging reality that nearly all nurses will face during their careers. Preparing nursing students for these situations can alleviate anxieties related to patient death (Venkatasalu et al., 2015). Simulation-based learning is an effective approach for teaching complex scenarios like EOL care (Cannity et al., 2021), with numerous studies highlighting improved confidence and competence in students who participate in EOL simulations (Gillan et al., 2014; Tamaki et al., 2019; Venkatasalu et al., 2015; Lewis et al., 2016; Jablonski et al., 2020). However, the lack of cross-cultural variations in death and dying highlights the need for culturally competent nurses (Northam et al., 2015).
This project aims to assess whether participation in culturally and spiritually diverse EOL simulations improves undergraduate nursing students' perceived competence in providing culturally inclusive EOL care.
Utilizing Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (1984), in the spring of 2025, 52 undergraduate juniors at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, enrolled in course NRSG 302, will participate and observe a simulated death experience involving three culturally distinct groups in the Central Minnesota area: Catholic Caucasian, Muslim Somali, and Mide Ojibwe. Creating a high-fidelity learning environment is key to providing students with an authentic experience that includes live actors, real culturally and spiritually distinct props, and high-tech geriatric mannequins to simulate the dying process. Pre- and post-simulation surveys will assess students' perceived competence in EOL care using the CARES Perceived Competence Measure 2.0 (AACN, 2021). Preliminary data has already shown improved perceived competence after students completed one EOL simulation in the spring of 2024.
This project is significant as it will provide insights into the effectiveness of EOL simulations in improving students' confidence and competence in EOL care. The results may support the integration of culturally diverse EOL simulations into nursing curricula to better prepare future nurses for diverse patient care scenarios. Further, the study could fill a gap in the current literature by providing data on cultural competence in EOL simulations, and it offers a foundation for future research and curriculum development that ensures nursing students are well-equipped to handle culturally diverse EOL situations.
Description
Preparing nursing students for end-of-life (EOL) care is critical, and simulation-based learning has been shown to enhance confidence and competence in real-world nursing practice. This project assesses the impact of three culturally inclusive EOL simulations on undergraduate nursing students' perceived competence, with findings potentially supporting the integration of culturally and spiritually diverse EOL simulations into nursing curricula to prepare students for diverse EOL patient care.