Background Occupational therapy education programs need to produce students who can confidently and safely deliver services for children. The study incorporated a simulation of a real situation into a clinical skill observation of a pediatric occupational therapy curriculum. The purpose of the study was to determine whether situated simulation-based program could increase students’ perceived knowledge and clinical skills to better prepare them for pediatric practice.
Methods The authors introduced a situated simulation-based program with video-based simulation training and a situated simulation-based exam during a pediatric occupational therapy course for thirty-two students in their fourth year of study in occupational therapy. The simulation program was two video-based simulation training sessions, tasked students with observing, evaluating and managing the children play. The debriefings were provided to connect student’s observation and basic evaluation skills. A post- simulation performance evaluation, the situated simulation-based exam, was created by faculty. The exam was prepared in a situated simulation therapeutic room was held to assess students’ skills in communication and interaction and basic evaluation skills. The scores of the video-based simulation training and the situated simulation-based exam were collected and examined.
Results The video-based simulation scores explained 33.3% of the variance of performance in the situated simulation-based exam. The overall passing rates were as follows: situated simulation-based exam, 65.6%; communication and interaction station, 53.1%; basic evaluation station, 68.8%.
Conclusions The video-based simulation training enhanced students’ communication and interaction skills. More relationship building skills were facilitated within the situated simulation-based exam with a real environment. The strategies that assist successful implementation of a situated simulation program to facilitate learning include course plans, clear scenario training goals, evaluation quality, and situated simulation contexts. This study provides preliminary support for simulation-based programs as training for improving the clinical skills of interaction and observation before students’ internships.