Pre-briefing Techniques that Promote Psychological Safety and Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Students

A review of the literature highlights the need to investigate the relationship between psychological safety and clinical performance of students. Guided by situated learning theory, this study proposed that as the collaboration and interaction between learner and educator increases during pre-briefing, the level of support for learning and confidence building experienced by the learner can also increase. Therefore, three pre-briefing techniques: Traditional, Concept Mapping, and Virtual Reality were used. Thirty-eight nursing students were randomly assigned to one of these groups, each receiving a 20-minute pre-briefing session. A survey post-pre-brief on psychological safety and a 20-minute simulation scenario using Lasater’s clinical judgment rubric were completed. Results showed a significant positive correlation between psychological safety and clinical judgment. Higher feelings of psychological safety during pre-briefing were linked to better clinical reasoning and judgment. Multivariate analysis indicated differences among the pre-briefing groups on psychological safety and clinical judgment scores. Further analysis revealed Concept Mapping and Virtual Reality enhanced psychological safety and clinical judgment more effectively than Traditional methods. Virtual Reality consistently scored highest as the most effective technique for fostering psychological safety and improving clinical reasoning during simulated scenarios. Innovative pre-briefing techniques using Virtual Reality can enhance the psychological safety and clinical judgment of students, as they prepare for real-world clinical settings.