Abstract
Background: Nursing education must prepare students not with knowledge but with the empathy and communication skills necessary to engage meaningfully with patients who experience mental illness. However, traditional lecture-based instruction often leads to fragmented knowledge and limited attitudinal change.
Purpose: This study implemented a patient-as-teacher and conducted cooperative learning model in an undergraduate course of psychiatric mental health nursing to improve students’ empathy, reduce stigma, and enhance caring competence.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted with 83 third-year nursing students enrolled in a four-year program. 42 students participated in the experiment group (patient-as-teacher learning), while 41 received conventional instruction. Validated instruments including the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C) that were administered before and after the intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests; qualitative reflections were analyzed thematically.
Results: Students in the intervention group demonstrated significantly lower stigma scores (OMS-HC, p = .04) and higher empathy levels (IRI-C, p < .001) compared with controls. Qualitative findings revealed three major themes: (1) Deconstructing prejudice through authentic encounter, (2) Bridging theory and practice via lived experience, and (3) Cultivating reflective compassion and professional growth. Students reported greater understanding of patients’ experiences and heightened motivation to provide holistic, person-centered care.
Conclusion: The patient-as-teacher cooperative learning model effectively promotes attitudinal transformation and empathy development in nursing students. Integrating patients lived experiences into mental health education bridges the theory–practice gap and fosters compassionate, reflective practitioners. This approach is adaptable across global nursing contexts and supports professional development standards in empathy, caring, and communication.
Notes
References:
Gorzig, A., & Ryan, L. N. (2022). The different faces of mental illness stigma: Systematic variation of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination by type of illness. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 63(5), 545-554. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12833
Gu, L., Jiao, W., Xia, H., & Yu, M. (2021). Psychiatric-mental health education with integrated role-play and real-world contact can reduce the stigma of nursing students towards people with mental illness. Nurse Education in Practice, 52, 103009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103009
Miller, C., Pradeep, V., Mohamad, M., Izmeth, Z., Reynolds, M. T. P., & Gulati, G. (2020). Patients and carers as teachers in psychiatric education: A literature review and discussion. ournal of Psychological Medicine, 37(2), 126-133. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2016.45
Nil, S. (2002). Wanted: patients with mental illness in role of teacher. British Medical Journal, 325(7375), 1300.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Beta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Academic-Clinical Partnership, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Teaching Methods, Nursing Students, Mental Health, Psychiatric Nursing--Education
Recommended Citation
Lin, Mei-Ling and Liu, Sho-Wei, "Patient as Teacher: Effects of Cooperative Learning on a Mental Health Nursing Course" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 37.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/37
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-27
Patient as Teacher: Effects of Cooperative Learning on a Mental Health Nursing Course
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Nursing education must prepare students not with knowledge but with the empathy and communication skills necessary to engage meaningfully with patients who experience mental illness. However, traditional lecture-based instruction often leads to fragmented knowledge and limited attitudinal change.
Purpose: This study implemented a patient-as-teacher and conducted cooperative learning model in an undergraduate course of psychiatric mental health nursing to improve students’ empathy, reduce stigma, and enhance caring competence.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted with 83 third-year nursing students enrolled in a four-year program. 42 students participated in the experiment group (patient-as-teacher learning), while 41 received conventional instruction. Validated instruments including the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C) that were administered before and after the intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests; qualitative reflections were analyzed thematically.
Results: Students in the intervention group demonstrated significantly lower stigma scores (OMS-HC, p = .04) and higher empathy levels (IRI-C, p < .001) compared with controls. Qualitative findings revealed three major themes: (1) Deconstructing prejudice through authentic encounter, (2) Bridging theory and practice via lived experience, and (3) Cultivating reflective compassion and professional growth. Students reported greater understanding of patients’ experiences and heightened motivation to provide holistic, person-centered care.
Conclusion: The patient-as-teacher cooperative learning model effectively promotes attitudinal transformation and empathy development in nursing students. Integrating patients lived experiences into mental health education bridges the theory–practice gap and fosters compassionate, reflective practitioners. This approach is adaptable across global nursing contexts and supports professional development standards in empathy, caring, and communication.
Description
This study implemented a patient-as-teacher cooperative learning model in a psychiatric mental health nursing course to enhance students’ empathy, reduce stigma, and strengthen caring competence. Findings showed significant improvements in empathy and attitudinal transformation through authentic patient encounters.