Objective To explore the application effect of 3D printing technology combined with KWL teaching model in clinical teaching for orthopedic nursing students, and provide empirical reference for optimizing the clinical practice training system for orthopedic nursing students and improving the quality of orthopedic nursing teaching.

Method 89 nursing students who interned in department of spinal surgery from March 2024 to November 2025 were selected as the research subjects. A controlled study design was adopted, with the traditional teaching model (control group) and 3D printing combined with KWL fusion teaching model (observation group) implemented separately. With lumbar disc herniation as the core teaching disease, a new teaching plan combining 3D printed visual anatomical and pathological models with KWL teaching model is constructed. The teaching effects in the two groups were compared through theoretical assessment, clinical practice operation scores, clinical thinking ability assessment, and teaching satisfaction questionnaire survey.

Results The theoretical assessment scores, clinical practice operation scores, total score of clinical thinking ability, and various dimension scores of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P ＜ 0.01); The satisfaction rate of nursing students in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.01).

Conclusions The integration of 3D printing technology and KWL teaching model in clinical teaching of orthopedic nursing can visualize and concretize abstract orthopedic anatomical structures, pathological mechanisms, and nursing operation points, effectively mobilize nursing students' self-learning and exploration abilities, improve their knowledge construction level and clinical practice transformation ability, solve the problem of the disconnect between traditional orthopedic nursing teaching theory and clinical practice, and significantly improve the clinical comprehensive ability and teaching satisfaction of orthopedic nursing students.