Introduction

Nurses need to learn and develop leadership competencies to play a relevant role in the success of healthcare organizations.

Objective

To describe nursing students' perceptions of the development of leadership competencies through simulation training, to analyze their association with nursing students' socio-demographic characteristics, and to identify facilitators and barriers.

Methods

Cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study in a sample of 74 undergraduate and postgraduate students attending advanced life support courses at a nursing school in Portugal. Data were collected using an adapted version of the Nursing Leadership Perception Scale (Frederico & Castilho, 2006). Questions were included to explore facilitators and barriers. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

Students showed a very positive perception of leadership development through simulation training (overall mean score ≥ 4.42; Likert 1-5) in the dimensions of recognition (M=4.57; SD=0.40), communication (M=4.62; SD=0.41), team development (M=4.54; SD=0.41), innovation (M=4.42; SD=0.55) and team leadership (M=4.49; SD=0.59). Operational planning and critical reflection were identified as the main facilitators of leadership development.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of simulation as a pedagogical strategy for leadership development. The identification of facilitators and barriers contributes to the improvement of simulation.

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