Lessons From the Heart: A Kinesthetic Activity for Practical Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Sciences
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Healthcare delivery trends necessitate evolving nursing education methods.
• Active learning strategies, including kinesthetic activities, are linked to improved student engagement and satisfaction.
• Traditional nursing education may not fully meet the demands of modern healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement a kinesthetic learning strategy in a licensed practical nursing program.
• To enhance student engagement and knowledge of cardiovascular function and its related etiologies.
• To deepen students' understanding and improve critical thinking and clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a novel kinesthetic learning activity.
• Focus on cardiovascular function and associated etiologies.
• Application within a licensed practical nursing program curriculum.

Main Results:

• Increased student engagement observed during the kinesthetic activity.
• Enhanced understanding of complex cardiovascular concepts.
• Improved ability to apply knowledge in simulated clinical scenarios.

Conclusions:

• Kinesthetic learning strategies are effective in nursing education for cardiovascular topics.
• This approach fosters deeper understanding and critical thinking skills.
• The strategy has the potential to improve clinical readiness of nursing graduates.