A Pilot Study to Explore Novice Debriefers’ Post-Simulation Debriefing Experiences

Introduction. Effective debriefing of simulation-based experiences is critical for learning. Approximately 33% of health professions instructors are debriefing novices. However, specific faculty development needs of novice debriefers has not been studied. This study examines how health professions instructors approach debriefing when they are new to debriefing simulation-based experiences. Methods. This pilot qualitative study used a thematic analysis approach to explore novice debriefers’ experiences in conducting post-simulation debriefings. Eligible participants engaged in one-hour semi-structured interviews. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. We reviewed verbatim interview transcripts, hand-coded the data, and formed codes into themes. Results. Nine novice debriefers participated. The overarching theme “I’m on my own…and they’re on their own,†reflects debriefers ’ view that they are on their own, without resources. Debriefers also believe learners should identifying their own errors. Three main themes emerged: “Deep divide between me and the learners†portrays a separation between debriefers and learners in terms of expectations, roles, and responsibilities. “Winging it†depicts debriefers ’ making-up their own debriefing approaches. “ Debriefing quality: missing pieces of the puzzle†portrays novice debriefers unaware of criteria for effective debriefing . Conclusions. Novice debriefers in this study perceived that they were on their own, having little to no debriefing training and mentorship. Study participants expressed debriefing struggles in several areas including discussing errors, facilitating learner participation, and assessing debriefing quality. Our findings shed light on simulation as a growing specialty by health profession educators and it is critical that resources are devoted to faculty development for debriefing skill acquisition . These findings can serve as a basis for future studies on debriefer skill acquisition .