Objective To explore the effect of situational simulation combined with reflective log teaching on the humanistic care ability of nursing students in the surgical practical teaching，and to provide a basis for the reform of practical teaching of nursing. Methods From March to December 2022，a total of 122 nursing undergraduates of Grade 2020 were selected to adopt the teaching method of situational simulation combined with reflective journal in surgical practical teaching. The teaching included the selection of practical training projects of situational simulation operation，the preparation of relevant teaching resources before and after class，the training of methods for writing reflective logs，the demonstration and practice of classroom situation simulation operation，and the writing and evaluation of reflective logs. The humanistic care ability scale was used to investigate the humanistic care ability of nursing undergraduates before and after the course. Reflective log was employed to assess the level of humanistic care. Results The score of humanistic care ability of 122 nursing undergraduates was（185.52±10.36） points before the course，and （227.77±10.74） points after the course，which difference reached statistically significant（t=32.339，P<0.001）. A total of 1 830 reflection logs were submitted by students. The top three words that reflected humanistic care elements in the reflection logs were sense of responsibility（1 100，1 444 times），compassion（1 009，1 208 times） and harmonious nurse-patient relationship（955，985 times）. Most reflective log types focused on deepening the understanding of humanistic care（644，35.19%）. Conclusion The teaching method of situational simulation combined with reflective log can improve the humanistic care ability of nursing undergraduates.