Manikins Mediate Lifelong Learning Skills in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Exploration of How Manikins Influence Nursing Students’ Learning

Abstract

Background: In today’s healthcare system, nurses face considerable demands, necessitating adaptability, situational awareness, decision-making, and critical thinking. The transition from student to newly qualified nurse presents challenges, leading some nurses to leave the profession early and intensifying challenges in recruiting and retaining health personnel. Managing this transition requires continuous competence development and learning skills. There is a need to facilitate a learning process that prepares nursing students for professional practice by fostering lifelong learning skills. This thesis builds on a doctoral project exploring human-looking, full-bodied manikins as learning tools in nursing education. The literature indicates a gap in the knowledge of nursing students’ experiences working with manikins and how manikins influence their learning. The rationale of this thesis is how nursing education can use manikins to support students’ development of lifelong learning skills that can ease their transition into clinical practice and help them function as nurses. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to develop new knowledge and understanding of how manikins influence nursing students’ learning, which can guide nursing education in developing educational strategies that support practice-relevant learning.