Learning Objective #1: Develop a role-play exercise designed to allow mental health students to evaluate their assessment, communication and intervention skills

Learning Objective #2: Incorporate collaborative partnerships between mental health nursing students and theatre students into their classes

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This presentation will summarize a collaborative project between psychiatric/mental health nursing students and theatre students, using role plays. This project began in a nursing course titled “Human Experience of Health Phenomena.” Some of the phenomena discussed in this class include perception and mood. Within these topics the brain diseases of schizophrenia and bipolar illness are explored. In general, these are diseases about which students have little knowledge, but many perceptions and stereotypes. Students care for actual chronically ill mental health clients in community settings as part of this class and are often fearful about beginning this rotation. Now, prior to beginning practicum with real clients, students are able to practice their assessment, communication, and intervention skills in a safe environment with a theatre student role-playing a specific person with a brain disease.

This presentation will share tips for developing detailed scenarios, for the theatre students, to enact each role. The nursing student feedback form, theatre student feedback form, and nursing student documentation samples will be highlighted. Evaluation results from both sets of students about the effectiveness of this project will be summarized.