Nursing students' experiences of using flipcharts as a learning tool during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Building mastery of clinical skills is essential for nursing students to ensure readiness for clinical placements. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, limited face-to-face teaching and student access to campus facilities, along with the rapid adoption of online methods, increased the need to develop innovative teaching tools to support students. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore nursing student perceptions and experiences of using Flipcharts for learning clinical nursing skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: This study used a qualitative descriptive design. METHODS: Second-year nursing students were invited to participate at the end of the semester to share their experiences of using Flipcharts in their clinical simulation laboratory. A total of 12 nursing students participated in individual semi-structured interviews conducted between December 2020 and February 2021. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-step method of thematic analysis. RESULTS: The findings of the study demonstrated that students considered Flipcharts to be beneficial in developing their clinical skills and were additionally valuable in supporting students with English as a second language. Three major themes were identified: the perceived value of Flipcharts during limited face-to-face teaching, the role of Flipcharts in supporting skills acquisition across learning domains, and the practicality and accessibility of this learning resource across different mediums. CONCLUSION: Students perceived the use of Flipcharts to be valuable in achieving mastery of clinical skills during COVID-19. The students' experience of using Flipcharts was positive overall and found the learning tool practical and accessible in supplementing learning.