The organizational cultures of Ontario Schools of Nursing: A grounded theory study to explain the adoption and incorporation of simulation

Abstract

<p><strong>Background: </strong>Internationally, simulation has been widely used as a teaching strategy in nursing programs. In Ontario, Canada, simulation has gained increasing acceptance and use in nursing education and has been met with a parallel investment of resources. Current literature offers insights into individual-level factors that contribute to the adoption and incorporation of simulation but there is a lack of understanding of how organizational factors shape this this educational strategy.</p> <p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this grounded theory study was to create a mid-range explanatory theory that describes how the organizational cultures of undergraduate nursing programs shape the adoption and incorporation of mid- to high-level simulation as a teaching and learning strategy.</p> <p><strong>Methods: </strong>Constructivist grounded theory was used to guide this research.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> A seven-phase process related to adopting and incorporating simulation into nursing curricula was uncovered. Sites that moved through the phases of the process and integrated simulation into all levels of the curriculum were classified as high-uptake. The level of uptake of simulation by nursing programs influenced the potential outcomes. From the findings, a theory was developed: the Organizational Elements that Shape Simulation in Nursing (OESSN) that includes five key organizational elements that shape the adoption and incorporation of simulation in nursing curricula.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This theory provides nursing programs with insight about the core organizational concepts that influence the adoption and incorporation of simulation within their curricula. The OESSN highlights the organizational elements to be cognizant of when adopting and incorporating simulation and perhaps other technological innovations within nursing curricula.</p>