How do manikins affect nursing students?

“There's significant learning potential in giving students the freedom to explore the manikins. It sparks curiosity, and it doesn't take much for them to start simulating on their own,” says Associate Professor Jorunn Aas Handeland.

She has extensive experience as a nurse herself, including working with simulation manikins.

The question she asked is: What does it mean to learn nursing with something that resembles a human but is not?

“We know simulation works well as a learning activity. But I've been looking at the unplanned things that occur in teaching sessions. A lot happens between students and manikins that creates chances for learning,” says Handeland.

The manikins' presence 

In one of her research articles, she describes nursing students working with simulation manikins for the very first time.

“The students approached the manikins on their own and started looking inside their mouths, talking to them, touching them, and trying things out. They did this entirely without any instruction, which shows that the manikins have a presence that grabs the students' interest,” says Handeland.

The manikins prompt students to talk to each other, discuss, and reflect.

Nursing students typically encounter simulation manikins in the first semester of their education. Initially, they use them for skills training, such as measuring blood pressure and heart rate.

Gradually, these skills become part of increasingly advanced and complex situations.

Insecurity around the manikins

However, high-quality manikins are expensive, so many educational institutions are restrictive about their use.

When students do get to use them, it's often in the presence of a teacher who assigns specific tasks and goals.

“This leads to students feeling more insecure when dealing with manikins since it's somewhat foreign. I strongly believe in allowing students to use the manikins more freely, to explore and experiment. Sometimes it's best for teachers not to interfere,” says Handeland.

Finding their own solutions

Handeland also introduced theoretical tasks for nursing students. These are tasks that may not always have a single correct answer but encourage students to try out their own approaches.

“The students found many ways to use the manikins that I hadn't thought of. Through discussion, they found new solutions and then tried them out on the manikin. I have great faith in this form of student-active learning,” she says.

She was surprised by how much the presence of the manikins influenced the students.

“Just having the manikin there seems to spark something in the students. They encourage discussion, conversation, and reflection, creating many valuable learning moments that nursing programmes can really benefit from. I believe nursing students will learn better by using the manikins more frequently and in more varied types of work,” says Handeland.

Reference:

Handeland, J.A. Manikins Mediate Lifelong Learning Skills in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Exploration of How Manikins Influence Nursing Students’ Learning, Doctoral thesis at the University of Agder, 2024.

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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

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