Effects of Simulation–based Preoperative Nursing Care Education on Student Anxiety and Competence in Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose This study aimed to compare the effects of simulation-supported and traditional preoperative nursing care education on nursing students' perceived competence and anxiety levels. Design Randomized Controlled study. Methods The study was conducted with 30 second–year nursing students from a foundation university in Turkey, divided into an experimental and a control group. The Perceived Competence Scale for Preoperative Nursing Care measured students’ competence, while the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory III assessed their learning styles. Anxiety levels were evaluated using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Findings Both the control group (theoretical training only) and the intervention group (theoretical plus simulation training) showed significant post-training increases in care competence (intervention: mean 4.58 ± 0.87; control: mean 4.37 ± 0.89; P < .05 for both). However, no significant differences were found between groups ( P > .05). In the intervention group, care competency scores were found to have increased significantly after simulation training compared to before training (pretest: 4.11 ± 0.84; post-test: 4.58 ± 0.87; P < .05). During clinical practice, the control group reported significantly higher anxiety (mean 46.80 ± 5.99) compared with the intervention group (mean 36.60 ± 11.39) ( P < .05). Conclusions Integrating simulation techniques into preoperative nursing education enhances students’ competence and reduces anxiety. Simulation methods are therefore recommended in surgical nursing education to improve learning outcomes. © 2026 The American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses.