A nursing exam room.

New discoveries in how people learn suggest that we acquire knowledge in many different ways. Most students learn best when they have the opportunity to reinforce lecture and reading content through additional hands-on exposure to the material. Called experiential learning, this kind of active learning can be obtained in many different settings such as:

• classes
• internship and summer job settings
• study abroad programs
• undergraduate research experiences
• active student clubs and professional organizations

While you are a student, you should seek out as many different experiential learning opportunities as you can fit into your schedule. This strategy will help you to be a better student and could also help you develop a network of professional contacts that may be able to help you to pursue other experiential and professional job opportunities.

Nursing education includes a significant amount of experiential learning in its clinical practica. These involve course work in a variety of settings where the student works with patients and their families in the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of the ill. Specific examples are given in the 100, 200, 300, and 400 level bars at the left.