Journal Article

Nursing students' motivation for, and experiences from, participating in a blended intensive programme on mass casualty incidents: a qualitative study

Geerts, Harald, Bandiera, Elena, Sletnes, Andreas Kvam, Kone, Jordy, Girotto, Alessandro, Galli, Emanuele, Torsvik, Malvin, Stranden, Cathrine

2025

Overview

Background Student mobility programmes aim to enhance academic competence and personal growth. However, non-academic reasons are decisive for students’ decisions not to participate in exchange programmes abroad. Short exchange programmes are becoming increasingly popular among both institutions and students, addressing some of the non-academic reasons to not participate in exchange programmes. The aim of the study was to gain insight into nursing students’ motivation for, and experiences from, participating in a short-term exchange programme focused on mass casualty incidents. Method A qualitative study was conducted using focus group interviews with 30 nursing students from Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. The data were analysed using content analysis. Results Three main categories were identified. These were “motivation”, “learning experiences” and “barriers and coping”. The two main motivational factors identified were the academic subject of mass casualty and the opportunity to experience international encounters. The learning experiences encompassed perspectives on nursing, cooperation and teamwork along with measurable academic outcomes related to the learning outcomes of the blended intensive programme. The participants expressed language and communication challenges and professional discrepancies as barriers in the learning process. Nevertheless, they also reported a feeling of coping and achievement after completing the programme and provided insights into various aspects of the learning climate during the blended intensive programme. Conclusions Driven by students’ academic interest and motivation for international encountering, the BIP demonstrated educational and personal benefits, emphasizing the potential value of short-term international programmes in nursing education. The programme fostered important competencies such as emergency preparedness, intercultural communication and interprofessional collaboration. Coping with language barriers and professional discrepancies contributed to personal and professional growth.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adaptation, Psychological / Administrative Organization / Adult / Algorithms / Blended intensive programme / Care and treatment / Collaboration / College campuses / Competence / Cooperative Learning / Cultural Activities / Cultural Awareness / Education / Educational Change / Educational objectives / Emergency nursing / Emergency preparedness / Emergency Programs / Evacuations & rescues / Exchange Programs / Female / Focus Groups / Guidelines / Higher education / Hospitals / Humans / In Person Learning / Informed Consent / International Educational Exchange / Interviews / Knowledge / Language Proficiency / Learner Engagement / Learning / Male / Mass casualties / Mass Casualty Incidents / Mass casualty training / Medical Education / Medical students / Methods / Motivation / Motivation in education / Music Facilities / National Standards / Native Language / Norway / Nurses / Nursing education / Nursing Students / Outcomes of Education / Patients / Pedagogy / Qualitative Research / Short-term exchange programmes / Simulation / Simulation-Based learning / Simulations / Student Motivation / Students, Nursing - psychology / Study abroad / Study and teaching / Surveys / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Trauma / Young Adult