Objective To explore the effect of applying BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation in teaching of the course of medical nursing. Methods Totally, 4 classes totaling 311 students enrolled in 2017 for an undergraduate nursing program were randomly divided into an experimental group （n=153） and a control group （n=158）.The experimental group were taught with BOPPPS and scenario simulation for the course of medical nursing, while the control group was subjected to traditional teaching method. Both groups were measured for the critical thinking tendency and learning initiative as subjective outcomes.Objective outcomes included comprehensive lab test results and written final exam results. Results The experimental group secured significantly higher scores in lab test and written final exam than the control group did （P＜0.01 for all）. Except for the dimension of systematic ability, the experimental group had higher scores in critical thinking totals and the remaining 6 dimensions than the controls （P＜0.01 for all）. The experimental group also achieved higher scores in learning initiative totals and all dimensions than the controls （P＜0.01 for all）. Conclusion The combination of BOPPPS and scenario simulation improve nursing students′ critical thinking ability and learning initiative, along with the teaching effect of the course of medical nursing.