Gaming and Simulation: A Win-Win for Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP Faculty and Students

Simulation and other active learning techniques such as gaming are used to promote student learning and critical thinking.  Additionally, simulation can provide faculty with a method in which to complete a summative assessment of the competences unique to AGNP PC practice. Simulation can be costly if used with large numbers of students. This presentation describes an economical approach for evaluating these competencies using simulation and a gaming strategy. The simulation named “Who Want s to be a Nurse Practitioner?” was designed around the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire™?” (Disney) Students participating in the simulation could, according to game rules, phone a colleague, or pose a question to the three wise women (faculty) to assist them during the SIM.  Clinical scenarios were developed around four case presentations. Cases integrated multiple AGNP PC competencies and focused on ages from young adult to old-old adults and content areas of chronic illness management, asthma exacerbation, geriatric atypical presentation and low back pain.  Faculty was the “pseudo-standardized patient” for each of the scenarios.   Prior to the SIM, each student, randomly assigned to a group of 4, selected a components of the health assessment that they would be responsible for during the 25 minute simulation. Students were required to collaborate and come to consensus on the final diagnosis and plan. In order to enhance realism and promote critical thinking, students were provided with abnormal findings e.g. wheezing via an app on the faculty cell phone, a parent (graduate assistant) of the young adult college student calling in to Health services.  Meti Learning Space ®, an audiovisual and center management system, allowed the other 13-24 students and grading faculty to observe and participate in the SIM. Objectives and scoring sheets were developed for each simulation.  After the simulation, faculty facilitators conducted the debrief with all students.  During the debrief, students analyzed many topics such as evidence based guidelines, privacy, cultural humility, safety (QESN) and health literacy. This presentation will explain how to develop this simulation, why specific scenarios were developed, how students were evaluated and what feedback was provided by students and faculty.