'My Caring Rules': preparing first year nursing students for clinical placement via gaming
Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Introduction. 'My Caring Rules' (MCR) is a tournament designed to enhance the acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge amongst our first year nursing students. This educational activity utilises simulated patient methodology to augment students' experiential learning. This presentation will share the development, implementation and evaluation of what we feel is an engaging teaching and learning strategy. Background. Prior to partaking in MCR, students work in teams throughout the semester to care for one 'virtual' patient utilising an unfolding case study. In this weekly activity, teams are required to plan, manage and evaluate the care of the person during their 'patient journey' (West, Usher & Delaney, 2012). Importantly, as new concepts are learnt throughout the semester, this content then becomes embedded in the unfolding case study creating the patient's altering clinical picture. MCR is held during the semester's final practical session. During the tournament, the unfolding case studies are brought to 'life' with the use of simulated patients, with the student teams being required to provide individualised, person-centred care to several of the patients. Aim of the Education Program. The aims of this educational strategy are to: Prepare students for the realities of working in a dynamic and pressured clinical environment whilst on placement; Facilitate the application of key concepts, knowledge and skills that are learnt by students during their first year of study, and; Promote students' understanding of how to link psychomotor skills to professional, non-psychomotor based skills when providing holistic nursing care. Methods Adopted. The MCR tournament utilises a gaming methodology where students are engaged in three episodes (rounds) of care. Each episode of care represents either a morning, afternoon or evening shift in an acute medical ward. Working in teams, students must complete the necessary nursing cares within a specified timeframe. At the end of each 'shift', the simulated patients and teaching staff assess each team's clinical proficiency, teamwork, communication skills and documentation using different coloured tokens. Bonus tokens can also be awarded by the simulated patient when teams demonstrate examples of exemplary care. At the end of the each round, the tokens for each team are collected and tallied by an independent auditor. The results are then announced to the class. At the conclusion of the three rounds, the team with the highest cumulative score is awarded with a group trophy and individual certificates. Briefing plays a pivotal role in the success of MCR. Multiple sessions are held to inform the teaching staff, simulated patients and support staff regarding their specific roles during MCR as well as the game's rules, expectations and schedule. Student briefings are also held prior to and on the day of MCR to outline the learning objectives of the session and the 'rules of engagement'. Evaluation Data from the Program. Student feedback regarding this activity has been elicited via subject feedback and student surveys. This qualitative data highlights themes such as "I feel better prepared for placement" and MCR "replicating real life" being cited by students.
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SimHealth 2015: Asia-Pacific Simulation Training Conference & Exhibition
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978-0-9925960-1-9
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1
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Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Simulation Australasia
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Adelaide, SA, Australia
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