"Learning, Thinking & Conveying" training with experiential learning in the emergency department for undergraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

Background: "Learning, Thinking & Conveying" training with experiential learning was evaluated for its impact on the theoretical knowledge and clinical operation skills of undergraduate nursing students in the Emergency Department. This was a quasi-experimental study.

Methods: A total of 90 undergraduate nursing students in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Wuhan were assigned to experimental and control groups between July and December 2023. The experimental group received "Learning, Thinking & Conveying'' training and controls were taught using standard cases. Students completed a questionnaire based on The Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version (CTDI-CV) and The Self-Rating Scale for Self-Directed Learning (SRSSDL) before and after the experimental period. Theoretical and clinical skills were assessed at the internship end for all participants.

Results: Students in the experimental group showed significant improvement in theoretical performance compared with controls (P < .001) but no differences were found in clinical operation skills. Similar CTDI-CV and SRSSDL scores for self-directed learning and critical thinking were found for both groups at the outset and the experimental group showed greater improvement in 5 out of the 7 dimensions of CTDI-CV and every dimension of SRSSDL after 4 weeks.

Conclusions: "Learning, Thinking & Conveying" training in combination with experiential learning during the rotation period improves theoretical performance, self-directed learning and critical thinking in undergraduate nursing students.