Table 1 Illustration of the process of analysis, from meaning units to descriptive themes

I was a bit stressed, but stress teaches you a lot. As a team leader on a sepsis case, everything halted, and I became irritable and stressed. While I did not feel like I learned much at the time, after I calmed down I realized I learned a lot about myself and the case. (ID 7)

Felt stressed and disliked it. Learned about oneself and the case after calming down.

Learned from stress and learned a lot about oneself.

Managing stress, uncertainty and fears.

Building professional confidence.

I enjoyed being with my fellow students. Throughout this period our relationship has developed, and we have become very close. During the simulations, we discussed the scenarios and pushed each other professionally. After the session, we reflected upon our experiences. (ID 8)

Personal and professional relationships with fellow students were valuable.

Connecting and collaborating with peers contributed to development.

Being part of a team.

I feel more confident in my line of work after doing these simulations. I have really benefitted from this. Both the knowledge and development of my skills. I have gotten a feeling of empowerment. (ID 7).

After completing simulations, feeling confident and empowered. It was beneficial to increase knowledge and skills.

Confidence and empowerment are built through simulation.

Believing in one’s own capabilities.

We get to sort out and connect different situations to different things. The theory can be hung on the skills we performed or forgot to perform. That’s how I learned the most. (ID 11)

Experiencing different situations, doing or forgetting things contributed to learning theory and skills.

Learning occurs through experience in different situations

Connecting theoretical knowledge and nursing actions.

Internalising nursing knowledge.

I think that doing simulation in situ is a great thing to do. You get to practice nursing skills without any risk of hurting patients. You can fail and retry without causing any damage. It’s a great opportunity for learning (ID 4).

The ability to attempt and fail while practicing nursing without harming a patient contributes to the learning process

Practicing and learning nursing skills without risking damage.

Risk-free exploration of nursing skills.

You get to practice different situations that make you safer and make you handle real situations in a better and safer way. And you get to do this in safe environments. (ID1).

Simulating different situations allows the handling of real-life situations to be practiced.

Learning is enhanced by rehearsing different situations.

Learning by doing.