Role model education has a profound impact on the attitude and behavioral development of nursing students. This article conducts a search and summary analysis of relevant literature in this field, elaborates on the concept and theoretical basis of role model education, sorts out the characteristics and roles of different types of role models and effective role models in the literature, summarizes the current application status of role model education in the nursing field at home and abroad, and proposes future research directions, aiming to provide reference for the future application of role model education in the nursing field.