Content area
Background
Competency-based nursing education necessitates effective instructional methods and assessment tools for evaluating students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Clinical simulation has emerged as a valuable approach, but creating well-crafted simulations traditionally requires substantial time and effort. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), exemplified by ChatGPT (OpenAI), offers promising advancements in streamlining scenario creation.
Method
This article explores the application of ChatGPT-3, version GPT-3, created by OpenAI in generating clinical simulation scenarios for nursing education. The focus is on the convenience, speed, and creativity provided by ChatGPT, enabling nurse educators to save time while developing intricate and thought-provoking scenarios.
Results
ChatGPT generates intricate scenarios that stimulate critical thinking, significantly reducing the time required for nurse educators to create simulations. This AI tool's ability to produce clinical simulations quickly demonstrates its potential to enhance educational experiences in nursing.
Conclusion
ChatGPT's convenience, speed, and innovative capabilities make it invaluable for constructing dynamic clinical simulations, opening new avenues for innovative instruction in nursing education. This article highlights the transformative role of AI in empowering educators and enhancing educational experiences, showcasing ChatGPT's potential to revolutionize nursing education despite ongoing discussions about its potential negative impacts. [J Nurs Educ. 2025;64(5):e6–e7.]
Full text
Clinical simulation emerges as a highly effective method for nurse educators to foster competency-based education and to evaluate learning outcomes (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, n.d). However, the development of well-crafted clinical simulations traditionally demands a significant investment of time and effort. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), exemplified by ChatGPT (OpenAI), brings promising advancements in streamlining the process of scenario creation. ChatGPT effortlessly generates intricate scenarios that stimulate critical thinking skills in students, thereby saving valuable time for nurse educators (OpenAI, n.d.).
There has been a significant surge in the publication of articles exploring the implications of AI on academia, examining both its potential negative and positive impacts (Frith, 2023; O'Connor, 2023; Marche, 2022). Regrettably, the predominant focus of these discussions tends to revolve around concerns about AI facilitating cheating or enabling shortcuts in the learning process for students. However, the discourse often overlooks the transformative role AI can play in empowering educators to create robust curricula that truly engage and inspire learning. Despite the negative attention it receives in scholarly literature, AI has emerged as a valuable tool for educators, fostering innovation and paving the way for enhanced educational experiences.
ChatGPT, introduced by OpenAI in 2023, has swiftly permeated the digital landscape and can now be readily accessed through app stores across various platforms or via a simple internet search at chat.openai.com. Once users log in, they are immediately greeted by the immense capabilities of ChatGPT, obviating the need to painstakingly sift through a multitude of research manuals and studies to retrieve relevant information. With just a few keystrokes, ChatGPT effortlessly generates clinical scenarios that exhibit depth and comprehensiveness, encompassing a wide array of topics students may encounter throughout their nursing careers. What sets ChatGPT apart is its convenience, as nurse educators can effortlessly install the application on their smartphones, enabling them to summon ChatGPT in real-time to develop dynamic clinical simulation scenarios. The system's rapid response time, often within seconds, further enhances its appeal, as it crafts nuanced, human-like text that seamlessly blends into the educational experience. ChatGPT exhibits a remarkable capacity to produce interesting ideas, serving as an invaluable companion for educators in brainstorming sessions by offering suggestions, novel perspectives, and engaging conversations (OpenAI, n.d.).
For nurse educators, the advent of the ChatGPT application heralds a new era of boundless possibilities and unfettered creativity, empowering them to construct simulations that were previously beyond their reach. Notably, ChatGPT exceeds the mere reproduction of an initial prompt, as it continuously builds upon previous responses, adapting an interactive conversation that is like the exchange of ideas with a human counterpart. This unique capability gives ChatGPT a remarkable capacity to promote collaboration and facilitate dynamic knowledge sharing, further strengthening its value in the realm of nursing education.
Figure A, available in the online version of this article, is a general demonstration of the invaluable contributions ChatGPT can offer to clinical educators, but it would need to be tailored to a specific patient.
The conversation in Figure A provides a basic demonstration of the various ways nurse educators can utilize ChatGPT. However, it is important for readers to recognize that ChatGPT has its limitations and cannot replace the human-created development of simulations. For instance, this AI has no knowledge of the student's learning style in this scenario, nor can it address the specific teaching needs of a nurse educator.
Keep in mind that this is just an example. If alternative learning objectives or competencies were required, the nurse educator would need to incorporate them into the simulation. The true value of this AI lies in providing a starting point that human input can enhance, resulting in a more comprehensive and focused simulation for students.
Limitations of ChatGPT
One of the prominent considerations surrounding ChatGPT pertains to its limitations, notably its knowledge base confined to data predating September 2021. Consequently, educators must exercise caution when formulating simulations based on the most current evidence-based practices. Nonetheless, there exist viable workarounds to augment ChatGPT's capacity for comprehensive data retrieval. For instance, educators can use web browser extensions, such as ChatGPT for Google, Web-ChatGPT (ChatGPT with internet access), or simply turn on the web access option on the ChatGPT home page. These options allow ChatGPT to search the web for the most current information and research.
Educators must also contend with ChatGPT's limitations with medical jargon and technical terminology, requiring a cautious approach to reviewing and refining simulations to ensure the accuracy of medical language. The present iteration of ChatGPT is designed to undergo continuous learning through user interactions, fostering a hopeful outlook for the future in which ChatGPT seamlessly uses medical terminology without difficulty.
ChatGPT imposes certain limitations on providing citations and references. While it cannot provide specific sources, it offers users a broad overview extracted from multiple resources. If references are needed, ChatGPT can direct users to broad databases, trustworthy organizations, and general guidelines where it pulled the information (Sun & Hoelscher, 2023).
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, ChatGPT emerges as an incredible resource and has the potential of revolutionizing the way teaching and learning take place. With its ability to develop intricate clinical simulations and involve learners in captivating conversations, ChatGPT expands the boundaries of traditional instruction.
Its impact extends far beyond the realm of nurse educators. Clinical nurse specialists, nurse leaders, and nurse preceptors can use ChatGPT to create unique learning experiences and evaluate clinical competencies. As this exciting new tool keeps developing and adjusting, its potential is vast.
ChatGPT represents a useful tool that provides insight into a future where AI becomes seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. By embracing AI at present, we establish the foundation for improved patient care and service down the line.
As educators and pioneers in the nursing field, instructors can embark on this journey. The potential of ChatGPT to enhance the educational experience is worth exploring. With the support of ChatGPT and other AI technologies, progress in nursing education can be achieved.
Together, educators can enter a realm where innovation merges with compassion, technology reinforces human connection, and AI tools uplift nursing education to new levels of excellence.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n.d.). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education frequently asked questions. Updated March 2023. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Downloads/Essentials/Essentials-Revised-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf
Frith, K. H. (2023). ChatGPT: Disruptive educational technology. Nursing Education Perspectives, 44(3), 198–199. 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001129 PMID: 37093697
Marche, S. (2022). The college essay is dead: Nobody is prepared for how AI will transform academia. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/
O'Connor, S. (2023). Open artificial intelligence platforms in nursing education: Tools for academic progress or abuse? Nurse Education in Practice, 66, 103537. 10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103537
OpenAI. (n.d.). ChatGPT. https://openai.com/product/chatgpt
Sun, G. H., & Hoelscher, S. H. (2023). The ChatGPT storm and what faculty can do. Nurse Educator, 48(3), 119–124. 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001390 PMID: 37043716
The author thanks librarian Debora L. Denison for conducting the reference service for this article. The author used ChatGPT-3, version GPT-3, created by OpenAI, from November 2022 to October 2023 to help build the simulation scenario and improve the readability and language of the work, with the author's oversight and control. The author takes full responsibility for the content of the article.
Jason A. Reid, MSN, APRN, ACCEN-AG, CCRN, is a Nurse Educator, Veterans Affairs.
Disclosure: The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
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