Educators’ decision-making in simulation-based learning with a bachelor’s degree in a nursing program at a Saudi Arabian nursing college

Background Educators use simulation-based learning (SBL) to complement other teaching strategies to achieve undergraduate program learning objectives. Previous studies in Saudi Arabia focused on the environment of the SBL and lacked an in-depth understanding of educators’ decision-making. The aim of this study was to explore educators’ lived experience with decision-making in SBL in a bachelor’s degree nursing program. Method This study used van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Data were obtained from 8 educators and were interpreted via cognitive continuum theory (CCT). Results The themes that emerged from the inductive analyses were decision-making as a deliberate craft of preparation, decision-making as negotiating readiness and challenge, decision-making as responsive attunement in the moment, decision-making as shaping assessment and feedback, and decision-making amid curriculum and programmatic influences. Conclusion Educators’ decision-making is a dynamic balance between analytical and intuitive modes shaped by context. This study is among the first to explore the lived experiences of nursing educators’ decision-making in simulations, an area often overlooked in favor of student outcomes.