Abstract:

Introduction:
Undergraduate nursing students often report difficulty in developing technical skills in practical classes. This situation may be due to the lack of sufficient opportunities to practice skills, but also to the distance between training and real situations.
Learning is an active process and a social activity. One student teaching another in a supervised environment can result in better learning and retention. Peer learning is an educational method that helps students solidify their knowledge. In a peer learning model, an older or more experienced student teaches a younger or less experienced peer in the same class. The implementation of a peer learning model can be a valid strategy that allows nursing students to improve their learning experience and develop the necessary technical skills.
This study aims to evaluate nursing students' experiences of participating in a peer-to-peer learning program.

Methods:
Exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative study. A peer learning model was implemented in the studied groups. This model consisted of a technique based on three steps: peer guidance and written document; peer guidance without written document; and without peer guidance and without written document. After participating in the activity, focus groups were held to identify the students' opinion regarding the experience provided. Four groups of undergraduate nursing students participated in the study, whose objective was to develop technical skills in the practical classes. The total number of participants was 30. The model implementation took place in September and the focus group sessions in October 2023. Content analysis was used to explore records.

Results and discussion:
All participants expressed that enjoyed the peer learning experience in practical classes and recommend its use. The biggest advantage was the ease in internalizing the task steps, which allowed each student to learn through guidance, observation, training, and error.
Students who may be hesitant to interact with the teacher may be more willing to open to their peers. This strategy can be earning, exciting, and enriching for students. The students also reported increased confidence, knowledge transfer, and mentoring skills.
The debriefing allowed students to share their experiences, doubts, impressions and provide feedback. The peer learning model helped to promote learning and continuous improvement, identifying what worked well and what could be improved in the future. From the reports, it was clear that peer learning in practical classes reduces stress and improves the development of technical skills needed for clinical practice.

Conclusion:
This study showed that peer learning proved to be a positive experience for nursing students due the contribution to their technical skills development. Peer learning allows the steps integration of the tasks to be developed, reduces stress, and increases self-confidence. Due to the demonstrated advantages, this model should be adopted. However, comparative studies must be carried out to demonstrate their effectiveness.

Keywords:

Students, Nursing, Teaching, Learning.