Effect of Working with a Standardized Pediatric Patient on the Skills of Nursing Students in Preparing Children for a Medical Procedure

•The use of standardized pediatric patient increases nursing students' self-efficiacy and perceived learning levels.•Using children as standardized patients prepares nursing students for the pediatric clinical setting.•Simulation reduces students' anxiety and fears about the clinical environment. In this study, we examined the effect of using standardized pediatric patients on the ability of students to prepare children for a medical procedure. The study was conducted using a convergent parallel design, which is a mixed-method design. In total, 106 students were included in the study. The intervention group participated in the simulation, and qualitative data were collected during the debriefing session of the simulation. All students underwent clinical practice, and their ability to prepare a child for a medical procedure was evaluated. The students in the intervention group had significantly higher skill, self-efficacy, and perceived learning levels than those in the control group (p < .05), and their state and trait anxiety levels were significantly lower than those of the students in the control group (p < .05). The use of standardized pediatric patients increased cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning among students. The use of standardized pediatric patients should be increased in pediatric nursing education.