Transforming Education: The Use of the Standardized Patients in Teaching Leadership Theory to Master-Level Nursing Students

Murphy, Lyn Stankiewicz

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Lyn Stankiewicz Murphy, PhD, MBA, MS, RN
Tonya Appleby, MSN, RN, CRNP
Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD

Learning Objective 1: Appraise possible benefits of using standardized patients as part of the masters’ level leadership course.

Learning Objective 2: Create possible topics for case studies involving the use of SPs as part of leadership courses.

Introduction:The use of the standardized patient (SP) in nursing education is well-documented in the literature. Since their introduction, SPs are commonplace in teaching clinical skills for most nursing programs. While the focus of the SP is on physical assessment, the need for leadership skills among nurses has never been greater. However, schools of nursing are challenged to create opportunities to educate nurses to respond to tomorrow’s concerns. One solution is the integration of the SPs into leadership courses in order to allow students to practice their leadership skills in a controlled environment.

Methods:Case studies involving topics such as conflict resolution, cultural competency, and motivation were developed and content validity of each scenario was established by faculty. The scenarios were rehearsed and integrated into a masters’ level leadership course. Students who wish to participate had the opportunity to engage and role play each scenario. A purposeful sample of students was recruited to participate in a focus group to explore their perceptions of the experience. The focus group was audio-recorded, and the data was transcribed and analyzed for common themes using Colazzi’s (1978) iterative approach.

Results:Ten students agreed to participate in the focus group. The average age of the students was 29 years. Three predominant themes were identified from the focus group: a) A “Real” Real-World Experience; b) More than Providing Care; and c) Enhancing Organizational Outcomes.

Discussion: One of the greatest challenges of education is integrating leadership theory (as it is presented in the classroom) into practice. Faculty must be creative in minimizing the gap between leadership theory and practice. By integrating SPs into leadership theory, students are able to experience “real world” issues in a safe environment with the hope is that these experiences will assist the students in strengthening their professional leadership skills.

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