Using simulations to teach clinical nursing.

Incorporating play into formal teaching strategies was introduced in theory over 75 years ago by John Dewey and the Gestalt theorists. Play, in the form of simulations, has had a significant role in contemporary nursing education. Simulations can teach more than a skill or an idea, since they can be designed to teach the complexification of ideas. The author explores the theoretical and historical development, the advantages and disadvantages, and future uses of simulations.