Implications for school nurses using simulator dolls to manage unplanned teen pregnancy

Abstract

Background: School nurses are key professionals in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore teenagers' perceptions of their practical parenting skills and their attitudes toward experiential learning through the use of high fidelity baby simulators. Methods: Virtual baby simulator dolls were used as part of sex and relationship education with school students (aged 15–16 years) to look after over a weekend. Students were recruited from a UK academy and completed a diary of their experiences while parenting, received quantitative feedback simulator reports and completed a post-study evaluation questionnaire. Findings: Students saw the virtual baby project as beneficial and important in schools and perceived an improvement in their understanding of practical parenting skills, sexual health and contraception. Conclusion: The implications of this paper are toward involving school nurses more actively in sexual health education in schools via the use of high-fidelity simulators as creative pedagogy in PSHE.