Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Virtual Simulation in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proposal for a Validation Protocol and Cross-Sectional Study

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused many problems in the clin- ical learning experiences of nursing students. Governments worldwide implemented lockdown measures to flatten the pandemic curve. Consequently, teaching hospitals provided limited access to clinical practice experiences for nursing students. Universi- ties had to shift from traditional to remote teaching [1] and intensified virtual simulation to help students develop clinical competencies. Simulation is a strategy used to replace or complete the real experience in clinical placements using a reproduction of the real word with an interactive modality [2]. It has long been used in nursing education for teaching theoretical and clinical skills; promoting critical thinking [3]; improving skill performance/clinical competence [4], communication skills, self-confidence, satisfac- tion [5, 6], and behavioral performance [6, 7]; building a sense of security; and reducing the gap between theory and practice [8]. According to previous studies, improving stu- dents' satisfaction and self-confidence enhances their academic engagement and out- comes [6, 9-11]. However, no evidence has been found with regard to the effectiveness of the use of simulation in video conferences to facilitate learning experiences. There- fore, the aim of this study will be to analyse nursing students' satisfaction, self-confi- dence, and perceptions of good planning and best practices in using simulation in video conferences