| abstract |
In a period distinguished by dramatic transformations in the structure and scope of health care knowledge concurrent with technological and curricular innovations in nursing education, this dissertation explores the nature of humility in clinical education. Humility can be understood as a "quiet virtue" based on a fundamentally caring stance that manifests as a focus on others and draws on an accurate understanding of one's strengths and limitations (Worthington, 2007). Humility is gaining interest in health care scholarship for its potential value in managing the uncertainties and complexities of patient care. Within this context, this dissertation sought to answer a compelling question: How do baccalaureate nursing students who participate in a simulation-based learning experience and perceive clinical humility?
The methodology applied an in-depth qualitative thematic analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 19 baccalaureate nursing students who participated in a high-fidelity simulation. Findings disclose multiple perspectives. Humility was experienced as a catalyst for learning, compassion, caring, and teamwork. Students identified aspects of psychological safety, including transparency, role clarity, confidentiality, and the faculty's openness to student errors and uncertainty as influences on their ability to critically self-reflect, accept feedback, and seek assistance. Notably, students assigned some positive value to experiences with embarrassment in their simulation, suggesting that psychological safety need not preempt student errors or negative feedback amid simulation-based learning.
This research has implications beyond nursing academia. Humility, increasingly acknowledged in health care scholarship and the medical health humanities, is crucial for navigating the complexities of patient care. This qualitative exploration of nursing students' experiences with humility in simulation offers key insights into how professional formation may enlist critical self-awareness and openness—qualities that underpin safe, effective, and humanistic practice.
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