Background: In educational programs, ageist biases and attitudes of healthcare students are prevalent and have been addressed through various methods, including simulation-based learning (SBL). Limited research has explored the impact of simulation on ageist biases and attitudes of occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) students. Furthermore, there is no research comparing the setting of SBL with a standardized patient (SP) on ageist attitudes of healthcare students. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a simulation setting with an older adult SP for OTA and PTA students on their attitudes toward older adults. Method: 26 OTA and PTA students were recruited from a small community college. The quasi-experimental counterbalanced design study incorporated a home-based simulation and an acute care-based simulation. The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA) and the Ambivalent Ageism Scale (AAS) instruments were administered before the SBL experiences and after each simulation. Results: The FSA did not indicate any statistically significant differences in student attitudes from the pre-simulation to the last simulation or between the two different settings. The AAS indicated significant differences between pretest and the last simulation and found significant differences when comparing the pretest to the home-based simulation and acute care-based simulation. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the impact of an SBL experience with an SP, specifically impacting benevolent ageist attitudes, which can guide educators in addressing ageism in healthcare students and promoting positive attitudes towards older adults through SBL experiences.
Keywords: ageism, healthcare student, older adult, simulation-based learning