Objective To explore the effect of Mini-CEX combined with Living Lab′s flipped classroom in clinical nursing teaching. Methods A quasi experimental study design was adopted, a total of 54 nursing interns in the department of biliary and pancreatic surgery from July to November 2022 were taken as a control group, and traditional clinical teaching model was used, while 54 nursing interns in this department from December 2022 to April 2023 were regarded as an experimental group, and the teaching model of Mini-CEX combined with Living Lab′s flipped classroom was adopted. After the teaching, the examination results, humanistic care ability and critical thinking ability of the two groups were assessed and compared. Results After the teaching, the theory and skill examination scores, the total scores of humanistic care ability and critical thinking ability in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion The flipped classroom teaching of Mini-CEX combined with Living Lab is conducive to improving the clinical teaching effect, and enhancing nursing students′ ability of humanistic care and critical thinking.