Embodied patient-perspective simulations, which are also known as point-of-view simulations, are widely used in healthcare education to enable students to experience aspects of disability, care, and dependency from a patient’s point of view. Common examples include navigating a wheelchair through a course, wearing an age-simulation suit, or completing tasks while blindfolded. These exercises are intended to foster empathy and stimulate reflection on patients’ lived experiences. At the same time, the literature remains divided regarding their pedagogical value and the extent to which short-term simulations can create meaningful insights without reinforcing stereotypes.This exploratory study investigates both how patient-perspective simulations are implemented in nursing education and how they influence learning processes. It examines educators’ pedagogical intentions, design choices, and debriefing strategies, as well as students’ experiences of engagement, reflection, and professional attitude development.A qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected through focused interviews with nursing educators and nursing students and through participant observation based on focused ethnography. This allowed examination of the situated experience of the simulations and the pedagogical reasoning behind their implementation. Ethical approval was granted by a university ethics committee, and all procedures followed the principles of informed consent, non-maleficence, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Preliminary findings indicate that students engage more deeply with learning materials and demonstrate enhanced reflective activity following the simulations. Educators emphasize that the value of these exercises lies less in producing an authentic adoption of the patient’s perspective—which they largely consider unattainable—and more in creating structured opportunities for embodied experience, emotional involvement, and guided reflection.The pedagogical potential of patient-perspective simulations appears closely tied to educators’ intentional design and reflective framing of the exercises. Influential factors include facilitators’ preparation and debriefing practices, group dynamics, and the integration of real narratives from individuals with relevant lived experiences.Initial findings suggest that patient-perspective simulations may support deeper learning involvement and contribute to developing reflective professional attitudes when thoughtfully implemented within an educational framework.