The purpose of creating the experiences this presentation highlights is to not only reinforce and evaluate critical thinking and skills competency, but also to promote teamwork within a maternal child health division utilizing innovative, creative approaches to learning.
Methods:
Escape room experiences were created focusing on relevant skills or maternal child health diagnosis’ beginning with basic competency assessment of a stable, healthy, laboring mother. Experiences increased in acuity and complexity for subsequent scenarios, challenging critical thinking and teamwork. Experiences included basic lab interpretation, critical thinking deduction of presenting symptoms and lab values through anticipating nursing care and interventions to escalation of care. The conclusion of the experience included a team debrief incorporating communication techniques unique to the organization designed to promote patient safety. Incorporating interactive challenges to promote team work between participants of varying experience and ages promoted team work, collaboration, and began a fostering of respect between generational practitioners and tenure. The interactive experiences provided learners an opportunity to apply and use experience in a fun, non-challenging way that immerses the learner in the learning different than the traditional repeat demonstration or lecture approach to skills and knowledge validation.
Results:
The results of the program are ongoing, with preliminary results demonstrating success and extremely satisfied staff feedback. The experience of the live, interactive activities demonstrates positive feedback of the current learners about the unique nature of the learning experience. The participants are taking the experience back to colleagues which is prompting continued conversation and piquing interest in all levels of tenure and experience. Reinforcement of current standards of care and review of current policy language embedded in the learning experience has also shown to be a success per learner’s feedback.
Conclusion:
Innovative, interactive learning opportunities can foster improving teamwork while allowing validation of skills and critical thinking in a high stress nursing specialty. Continuing the program with increasingly challenging scenarios as staff become accustomed to the process and expectations can continue to improve communication and respect between colleagues.