The nursing process is a problem-solving-based clinical decision-making method that aims to meet the health needs of individuals, families, or communities through a systematic and scientific approach. Enhancing students' understanding of the nursing process is essential for fostering effective learning in nursing education. This study aimed to compare the effects of two different educational interventions—role-playing and artificial intelligence–based learning—on nursing students’ knowledge of the nursing process and their diagnostic accuracy. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted at a Faculty of Health Sciences in Turkey during the Spring semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. The study was conducted with 47 undergraduate nursing students (Role Playing group: 25; AI-Based Learning group: 22). “Student Information Form,” the “Nursing Process Knowledge Test,” and “Clinical Case-Based Nursing Diagnosis Assessment Form” were used to collect data. The implementation of the AI-based learning group was carried out with the students in the role of “Nurse” and ChatGPT in the role of “AI-Simulated Patient”. The students in the role-playing group were assigned to “Nurse” and “Patient” roles. Students in all groups followed a scenario to collect patient history. Data were collected before and after interventions. Ethical approval was obtained from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the university. Baseline characteristics of the groups were similar. In the role-playing group, the mean knowledge score significantly increased. In the AI-based learning group, the mean diagnostic accuracy scores significantly improved. There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge or diagnostic accuracy scores between the role-playing and AI-based learning groups. Our results may enable future refinements in the design of educational interventions to better evaluate the distinct contributions of AI-based learning and role-playing in pre-licensure nursing education. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the potential of AI-supported platforms in controlled experimental research, examining their influence on clinical reasoning and learning outcomes.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Nursing, Nursing education, Role-playing, Undergraduate education.