Using a wheelchair activity as a learning experience for student nurses.

An experiential activity was conducted as part of a nursing course at a university in the Midwest to determine whether simulating a physical disability by using a wheelchair could be a valuable educational strategy. The goal was to increase nursing students' awareness of disability, sensitivity to people with disabilities, and understanding of the importance of self-efficacy, as well as to enhance their learning about the research process, which was one of the course objectives. While the results of this activity were not statistically significant, the content analysis of the qualitative data showed an effect on the experimental group. This analysis suggested that the enactment was a beneficial learning experience that increased nursing students' depth of understanding about what life is like for a disabled person in a wheelchair.

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