An Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Simulation‐Based Experience Among Postgraduate Critical Care Nursing Students During the COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT During the COVID‐19 pandemic, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used for respiratory distress. This study sought to describe the nurses' perspectives on the process of ECMO training through a simulation‐based experience (SBE). Eleven nurses who undertook postgraduate studies in critical care using simulation were recruited. A qualitative descriptive study. Purposive sampling was applied, and data were collected through semi‐structured interviews. An inductive analysis was used. The credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability strategies were used for rigor. Three themes were identified: (a) Simulation: a bridge between practice and educational content, simulation serves as a link between acquired knowledge and its integration with clinical practice; (b) Patient‐ECMO machine interaction, simulation enables the integration of ECMO management within nursing care, as an extension of the care of the individual; (c) Critical situations in simulation, the management of vascular pressures is identified as the greatest challenge faced by nurses during simulation. SBEs enable critical care nurses to be trained in the management of highly complex technological devices such as ECMO.