Abstract:

Introduction:
The teaching/learning of therapeutic communication skills requires the adoption of pedagogical strategies that support this process. Therapeutic communication skills are critical for the development of therapeutic relationships by nurses and should be emphasized in undergraduate education. Nursing students are encouraged to simulate clinical scenarios that promote training, acquisition, and development of these skills throughout their academic training. Given the complexities and nature of these skills, active pedagogical methods that engage and empower students should be prioritized. As a result, clinical simulation has emerged as an effective and secure alternative for practical learning. In addition to this active methodology for learning and developing these skills, it is thought appropriate to adopt and incorporate formative assessment methodologies that encourage self-assessment and reflection.

Objective:
Describe the pedagogical strategies used in the classroom setting to develop therapeutic communication skills in the context of consultation.
Analyze the clinical simulation pedagogical strategies that promote the development of therapeutic communication skills in the context of consultation.
Consider the usefulness and relevance of self-assessment and peer assessment as a methodology for evaluating active pedagogical strategies.

Methodology:
An exploratory and descriptive study. Students are given the following options based on Kolb's Model (1984) used in clinical simulation: Active experimentation (Doing); Concrete Experience (Feeling); Reflective Observation (Watching); Abstract Conceptualization (Thinking). In a consultation setting, students are invited to form groups and act out a clinical scenario. That moment is captured on audio and visual media. After the first scenario, the students complete a first self-assessment and receive feedback. There is a second scenario. This recording is subjected to three analyses, and the creators of the recording, peers, and the teacher each complete a self-assessment grid. The ethical procedures necessary to conduct this study were ensured.

Results:
274 students participated in this study over the course of four years. Three assessments were produced for each of the 92 scenarios that were studied in total. These assessments allowed for the analysis of the therapeutic communication techniques applied by the students in each scenario, the suitability of the techniques for the stage of the client's life cycle, and the phases of the consultation (beginning, development, and end) where these techniques were applied. It was able to evaluate one's ability to be assertive and critical in connection to one's performance and the performance of others through the examination of the outcomes of self and peer assessment. The assessments provided by the students, peers, and teacher were comparable to one another.

Conclusion:
Clinical simulation can be considered a pedagogical strategy that encourages the development of therapeutic communication skills in a consultation context, enhanced by assessment methodologies that promote reflection on the scenarios developed by the students themselves and by their peers.

Keywords:

Clinical Simulation, Therapeutic communication, nursing, Teaching Methods.