Simulation-Based Schizophrenia Training in Nursing Education

This study aims to examine the effect of a schizophrenia scenario-based simulation on nursing students' knowledge, empathy, and caregiving competence. The study uses a single-group pre-test/post-test (quasi-experimental) design. Nursing students enrolled in a Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing course at a foundation university in Istanbul, Türkiye, who have not previously participated in a similar simulation, are invited to take part.

Before the simulation, participants complete a set of questionnaires assessing their knowledge about schizophrenia, empathy level, and caregiving competence. They then take part in a structured simulation session involving a standardized patient portraying a person with schizophrenia. The session includes a preparation phase, a prebriefing session, a 15-minute clinical encounter in which the student conducts a therapeutic interview and mental status examination, and a debriefing session guided by a structured reflective model. Immediately afterward, participants complete the same questionnaires again, along with a scale measuring their perception of the simulation's educational effectiveness.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether this type of simulation-based training improves nursing students' knowledge, empathy, and confidence in caring for individuals with schizophrenia, and to contribute evidence on the use of simulation in psychiatric nursing education.