Nursing Students' Perceptions of the Contribution of High-Fidelity Simulation and Clinical Placement in a Critical Care Course

•Students' perceptions of HF simulation and clinical placement are discussed.•Both environments provide essential learnings for students.•HF simulation can provide a safe environment for students to experiment critical care.

BackgroundHigh-fidelity simulation (HFS) has increasingly been used in nursing education as a substitution for clinical placement.AimTo compare undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of learning in HFS and clinical placement during a critical care course.MethodQuestionnaires were completed (n = 314), and focus groups were held (n = 23).ResultsAfter a content analysis, similar themes emerged, but subthemes varied depending on the learning environment (HFS or clinical setting).ConclusionsBoth HFS and clinical placement contribute to student learning in similar and different ways. HFS is a good complement to clinical placement.