A Quantitative Approach to Evaluating Caring in Nursing Simulation

This study was designed to test a quantitative method of measuring caring in the simulated environment.Since competency in caring is central to nursing practice, ways of including caring concepts in designing scenarios and in evaluation of performance need to be developed. Coates' Caring Efficacy scales were adapted for simulation and named the Caring Efficacy Scale-Simulation Student Version (CES-SSV) and Caring Efficacy Scale-Simulation Faculty Version (CES-SFV).A correlational study was designed to compare student self-ratings with faculty ratings on caring efficacy during an adult acute simulation experience with traditional and accelerated baccalaureate students in a nursing program grounded in caring theory.Student self-ratings were significantly correlated with objective ratings (r = 0.345, 0.356).Both the CES-SSV and the CES-SFV were found to have excellent internal consistency and significantly correlated interrater reliability. They were useful in measuring caring in the simulated learning environment.