Students Teaching Students: A Peer-Led Open Skills Lab Model in Nursing Education

BACKGROUND: Nursing students need repeated, low-stakes practice to develop and maintain clinical competencies, yet faculty availability, workload, and limited lab resources often interfere with additional practice opportunities. PROBLEM: These constraints can hinder skill development, confidence, and clinical readiness, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to expand hands-on learning. APPROACH: A peer-led open skills lab model was implemented, with senior nursing students serving as paid laboratory assistants. Guided by faculty and structured within Peyton's 4-step teaching framework, students provide hands-on instruction and a supportive environment for junior nursing students. CONCLUSIONS: This initiative enhances student confidence, clinical skills, and judgment while providing senior students with leadership and teaching experience. The peer-led open lab model expands access to practice, strengthens competency development, and fosters the next generation of nursing educators, offering a sustainable solution to faculty workload challenges.