NLN, in Collaboration with INACSL, Releases A Vision for Debriefing Across the Curriculum

The National League for Nursing and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) believe that integrating debriefing across the curriculum - not just in simulation - has the potential to transform nursing education and holds great promise in educating nurses to be the reflective practitioners necessary in today's health care system. Developing reflective practitioners requires a thoughtful approach to nursing education wherein faculty and learners question and reorder how they think, act, and understand. Reflection, at the core of debriefing, is central to being critical, that is, having the ability to examine information to see the whole of reality (Freire, 2000). It is a process of assessing what is relevant and determining the reasons for our actions.

The importance of training in techniques that promote reflection during debriefing is clear in the published INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation Standard VI: The Debriefing Process (Decker et al., 2013). Standard VI provides guidance to simulation educators for facilitating debriefing discussions. Additional INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation address the qualities of facilitators and criteria for facilitation (INACSL, 2013). The Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH, 2014) has likewise published accreditation standards for simulation programs. The Teaching/Education Standard 2, Qualified Educators, recognizes the importance of ongoing assessment of facilitator competence.

CALL TO ACTION

There is a new paradigm for the role of the teacher: facilitator of knowledge co-creation. To assume this role, educators must be willing to let go of their long-held assumptions and reframe how they see the teaching-learning process and the student-teacher relationship. Debriefing provides educators with an evidence-based means to co-create this new paradigm.

To support this movement, the NLN offers debriefing courses for faculty through the Simulation Innovation Resource Center (SIRC) (http://sirc.nln.org), as well as an annotated bibliography highlighting recent advances in simulation debriefing techniques and outcomes. In addition, to advance the knowledge base and skill performance of faculty who engage in debriefing practices, webinars and workshops are offered through the NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For Deans, Directors, and Chairs of Nursing Programs

* Ensure an adequate number of faculty with training and expertise in theory-based debriefing; budget annually for faculty development.

* Provide a simulation leader to assist other faculty as they learn; reinforce the process of incorporating debriefing across the curriculum.

* Support the development of debriefing experts among the faculty.

For Nurse Faculty

* Integrate debriefing across curriculum to shape student thinking.

* Pay attention to the impact of implicit/explicit personal bias during debriefing.

* Use evidence-based resources consistently to ensure evaluation of and competence in debriefing.

* Seek development opportunities to enhance debriefing skills.

* Pursue continuing education to develop expertise in the use of debriefing techniques in the classroom, clinical postconference, and patient care settings.

For the NLN

* Provide professional development for all faculty (full-time, parttime, and clinical) to:

* Incorporate standards of theory-based debriefing.

* Integrate debriefing across the curriculum.

* Enhance faculty expertise in the use of theory-based debriefing.

* Utilize reliable and valid instruments to evaluate the debriefing experience.

* Remain focused on the NLN mission, which is primarily devoted to nursing education faculty, including clinical education faculty.

* Expand Leadership Institute programs in the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership to include resources for theory-based debriefing across the curriculum.

* Collaborate with key stakeholders (e.g., INACSL, SSH, NCSBN, Laerdal, Wolters Kluwer) to develop and disseminate best practices in theory-based debriefing.

* Continue to support grants and scholarships to fund nursing education research in the use of theory-based debriefing and student learning through the NLN | Chamberlain College of Nursing Center for the Advancement of Nursing Education and the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education.

* Serve as a resource for the global community.

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