An educational intervention to enhance clinical skills learning: Experiences of nursing students and teachers

The simulation centre is a key setting for the acquisition of practical skills. However, pedagogical underpinnings of skills instruction in this setting are not always well founded. This study aimed to explore student and teacher experiences with an educational intervention to enhance clinical skills learning in the first semester of nursing education. The study had an exploratory design, where qualitative data were collected in focus group interviews involving 18 students and four teachers. The participants had generally positive experiences of the intervention. The findings showed that organisation, time usage, an observer role, re-training and structured reflection enhanced systematic feedback by students. We conclude that an educational intervention based on theoretically sound learning tools and pedagogical principles improved students' skills acquisition and gave the teachers a common educational platform.