Healthcare student engagement with health-related content through Netflix mini-seriesFijačko, Nino (Avtor) Metličar, Špela (Avtor) Štiglic, Gregor (Avtor) Gosak, Lucija (Avtor) Watson, Roger (Avtor) Netflixdramaserial killerlearninghealthcarenursingBackground Conventional lecture-based teaching often struggles to keep students engaged and attentive throughout the class. Television and film, when used as educational tools, can promote a compassionate, person-centered approach to healthcare. Film-based education enhances critical thinking and allows students safely to explore and express their professional values and beliefs. This qualitative research aimed to explore how a Netflix mini-series could engage healthcare students and enhance their interest in learning, rather than its direct instructional effectiveness. Method In September 2023, the “Simulation and Games in Nursing Education” international summer school featured daily episodes from “The Nurse” Netflix mini-series, each lasting 40 to 60 min. Healthcare students attended this event as part of their summer school program. We employed a six-step thematic analysis framework to analyze the collected data and Sankey diagrams were used for visualization. Results Our research involved 28 healthcare students from six European countries, predominantly women (82%, 23/28), with a mean age of 22 years (SD 2.35). None had seen the series before the summer school. The analysis revealed ‘Cinenurducation’ as the main theme, supported by three subthemes: (1) Observational learning and Critical thinking; (2) Cinenurducation feelings; and (3) Relationships and Personal behaviors. Conclusion While Netflix mini-series can provide engagement opportunities, this research underscores the importance of distinguishing between engagement and educational effectiveness in using media as a teaching tool. Clinical trial number None.20252026-03-10 11:12:11Neznano28106sl