Objective <p>To explore the application of debriefing in simulation-based education of surgical nursing.</p> Method <p>A self-controlled before-and-after study was conducted among third-year nursing students (8 classes) in a 12-hour surgical nursing simulation course. The first 6-hour session in the initial semester served as the control condition (conventional teaching), while the subsequent 6-hour session in the following semester served as the experimental condition (debriefing teaching). Outcomes including theoretical scores, critical thinking disposition, general self-efficacy, and student evaluations of the debriefing were compared between the two phases.</p> Results <p>In the experimental phase, theoretical exam scores, critical thinking disposition scores, and general self-efficacy scores were (73.92 ± 7.40), (298.11 ± 52.68), and (3.20 ± 0.60), respectively, compared to (65.81 ± 9.42), (228.41 ± 20.60), and (2.82 ± 0.55) in the control phase. The differences between the two phases were statistically significant (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Student evaluations suggested that the majority of students in the experimental phase had a positive attitude towards this teaching method.</p> Conclusion <p>This self-controlled study indicated that the integration of debriefing into simulation-based education in surgical nursing was associated with higher theoretical knowledge, critical thinking disposition, self-efficacy, and learning satisfaction.</p>