10 Creative And Effective Ways To Educate Nursing Staff
Written By:
Kelsey Bader
Kelsey Bader, BSN, RN
Kelsey Bader is a registered nurse from Louisiana. Kelsey has a diverse range of experiences. Some of Kelsey’s work experience includes bedside nursing in ICUs at various hospitals in COVID and non-COVID units, emergency rooms. Read Full Bio »» , BSN, RN
Are you a nursing leader looking for new ways of training and educating your nursing staff? It can be a challenge to come up with teaching methods that are both effective and engaging. If you’re anything like me, you have probably found yourself asking, “What are some creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff?”
As a nurse leader, there have been plenty of times when I found myself trying to keep everyone engaged. Trying to find creative and effective ways to educate and inspire nursing staff by yourself can sometimes leave you feeling like you’re just spinning your wheels. Don’t worry, though! In this article, I am going to share with you the 10 best creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff. While every method may not appeal to your teaching style, you’re liable to walk away with a few more ideas than you had before reading this article. In fact, you may even gain some inspiration to add your own creative touch to some of the techniques.
What are Some Creative And Effective Ways to Educate Nursing Staff?
(The following are the 10 best creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff.)
WAY #1: Interactive Workshops
Workshops are a great tool to utilize in the task of educating your nursing staff. They are a fully customizable tool that can be used as a teaching method for countless topics. The important thing to remember when considering a workshop as a teaching platform is to make sure it’s an interactive experience for your learners. The information covered is easier to recall when your nursing staff is engaged in the learning process.
One idea for an
interactive workshop is to use a series of booths where the nursing staff can rotate from one booth to the next, learning about a new topic at each booth. Another idea for an interactive workshop would be one in which you teach your nursing staff various techniques of effective communication and then give them opportunities to practice those techniques.
I remember that, in nursing school, one of our instructors used what she called a communication workshop to teach us the importance of communication within the team. A few students were given a scenario and expected to convey all the details to the rest of the "team" to see how well we communicated and followed instructions. To say the least, we were terrible at first! With practice, though, we learned effective ways of communicating, which carried over into clinicals and later practice.
WAY #2: Make Learning a Game
Incorporating the information that you are teaching into a game is one of the most creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff. Whether you create a game like Jeopardy and divide the staff into teams or create an escape-room-style scenario where staff must solve problems to succeed, the lessons staff learn through games are guaranteed to be memorable!
I always enjoy it when leaders implement games as a tool for learning. The steady interaction of a game helps me to stay focused and fully absorb the information being taught. The principle of a game allows your learners to stay engaged throughout the entire lesson. Plus, by dividing the staff into teams, you are encouraging
teamwork and communication. Strengthening the team aspect of the staff is an additional benefit of using a game to cover different information and topics.
WAY #3: Utilize Guest Speakers
Let's face it: even if we are knowledgeable about a subject, that does not mean we are the only person who should talk about it. One way you can get creative and effectively educate your team is by utilizing the knowledge and experiences of others and welcoming guest speakers. Maybe you are planning to talk about the dynamic of teamwork between the specialties of the interdisciplinary team, or maybe you are covering the rationale behind certain physician orders. In situations like these, utilize the resources around you! Invite experts on the specific topic to come and talk to the nursing staff.
I have learned a few things from having guest speakers participate in education opportunities. First, the level of engagement from the nursing staff is typically higher when there is a speaker who has extensive knowledge of the topic. Perhaps it is because guest speakers are usually passionate about the topics they are asked to cover. Also, hearing firsthand experiences and wisdom generally goes over much better with learners when compared to a recited PowerPoint covering the information. Everyone can benefit from a different perspective from time to time.
WAY #4: Role Play
As nurses, we all have countless experiences that we can recall, whether they were good or bad. We've interacted with doctors, patients, families, coworkers, and other members of the interdisciplinary team. We have lived those experiences firsthand so recreating those interactions is not too much of a challenge.
When educating your team, consider having the staff pull from their clinical experiences to role-play with one another. Whether it is a skill or a principle that you want to cover, you can assign roles to each learner and have them act out specific scenarios. The possibilities really are endless with this technique! It can be used to cover a skill, such as inserting an IV, or a concept, such as patient advocacy.
WAY #5: Use Simulations
With
simulations, you can control the environment and almost every detail of the learning experience for your nursing staff. Simulation technology and tools can be utilized to create various clinical situations and test how your team would respond. With such a level of customization available, simulations are a creative and effective way to educate nursing staff. Simulations can be used to teach any nursing practice or process, as every aspect of the environment can be altered. Learners can receive feedback on their actions, reflect on their performance, and repeat the simulation to achieve a better outcome.
I’ve always loved participating in simulations! As part of the code blue response team, we would participate in regular simulations to practice running a code. We were able to run and re-run the simulation until the entire team functioned like a well-oiled machine. It definitely helped prepare me for the situations I faced as part of the response team.
WAY #6: Learner Led In-service Days
It’s like the saying goes, “See one. Do one. Teach one.” A creative and effective way to educate nursing staff is to get them involved in the education process. Having staff members lead in-service days increases interaction and participation within the group. The learner-led technique engages the learner and pushes them to master the technique or comprehend the knowledge before presenting it to their peers.
By having the staff do the teaching, you are encouraging them to take responsibility for their educational requirements and make sure that all the assigned information is covered. Also, you will be there to step in and offer guidance or direction if anyone needs help or clarification.
WAY #7: Offer Online Training
Sometimes, just the thought of having to attend a mandatory in-service day can be dreadful for staff! No matter how much time and planning you put into the itinerary, staff can be distracted by the fact that they are falling behind on their work for the day. Times like these are when the flexibility that online training offers can come in handy! Allowing the nursing staff to complete required training modules online can provide quite a bit more flexibility when it comes to the time constraints of when the education must be completed. For example, instead of just having a day or two scheduled for a mandatory in-service, you can have a timeframe of a week or even a month where the nursing staff can go in and complete the required tasks at their convenience.
WAY #8: Host a Debate
When covering topics such as ethical dilemmas, leadership, patient advocacy, or
cultural competence, hosting a debate can prove to be a very effective way to reach your nursing staff. You can assign different points of view to the members of the nursing staff and have them prepare an outline to use during their debate with the opposing side. Debates are a great method to encourage your nursing staff to see things from a different perspective.
I had a manager who liked to utilize this tactic to push us to see things from someone else’s point of view. She was known for figuring out where we stood concerning a certain topic and then making us argue on behalf of the opposing side. It’s really hard to come up with an argument for something you don’t agree with. However, it pushed me to consider all sides of the situation and explore the reasons behind someone else’s actions. That lesson alone is invaluable in the field of nursing!
WAY #9: Arrange an Interdisciplinary Collaboration Review
Sometimes, when you're in the thick of things, it can be challenging to see the bigger picture. This is oftentimes true as a bedside nurse. Some days, you may be so swept up in a never-ending list of tasks that you feel like there is no end and you may find yourself questioning the actions of other members of the healthcare team. This is where an
interdisciplinary collaboration review can help your nursing staff understand the reasoning and motives behind some of the actions of other team members.
Bringing everyone together for a review session is truly one of the creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff on the “why” behind certain policies and procedures. With a review of each member’s role and duties, you can strengthen teamwork, promote understanding, and ultimately improve patient care.
WAY #10: Competency Check-Offs
When it comes to things like clinical skills or facility guidelines, creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff are to implement competency check-offs. You can use check-offs to ensure nursing staff have the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to handle specific situations. You may break down check offs into a specific set of skills or can include the entire list that is required for annual competency.
At one of the hospitals I previously worked at, we were periodically given a packet that had a list of skills that we needed to complete. We were instructed to have the charge nurse on duty observe us performing the skill and sign off on our sheet once we had completed it. We typically had 90 days to complete the checklist and submit it back to our supervisor or continuing education director. Sometimes, it took extra effort to get the tasks completed, as some of the tasks were not things we would encounter during a typical shift.
My Final Thoughts
Every individual learns things differently. Some people learn by seeing, some by doing, and others by hearing. When you are responsible for teaching an entire group, it can become overwhelming to try to come up with teaching methods that will speak to the entirety of the group. With the information we have covered, you are now able to answer the question, What are some creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff?”. You have read about the 10 best creative and effective ways to educate nursing staff. Depending on the traits of your nursing staff, some of these methods may not work. That's okay, though! Remember that it's okay to try a new method and make adjustments as needed. You may be surprised by how receptive the nursing staff is to a creative, new way of learning.
List Of Sources Used For This Article
1.
“Interactive Workshops As a Learning and Teaching Method for Primary Healthcare Nurses” (
National Library of Medicine)
2.
“What is Teamwork in Nursing? (With Examples, Importance, & How To Improve)” (
nursingprocess.org)
3.
“What are the Types of Simulations in Nursing Education? (PLUS, Pros VS. Cons, & Tips to Make the Most of It)” (
nursingprocess.org)
4.
“What is Cultural Competence in Nursing (with Examples, Importance, & Barriers)” (
nursingprocess.org)
5.
“Working on Working Together: A Systemic Review on How Healthcare Professionals Contribute to Interprofessional Collaboration” (
Taylor & Francis Online: Journal of Interprofessional Care)
Kelsey Bader, BSN, RN
Kelsey Bader is a registered nurse from Louisiana. Kelsey has a diverse range of experiences. Some of Kelsey’s work experience includes bedside nursing in ICUs at various hospitals in COVID and non-COVID units, emergency rooms. Kelsey has worked in remote chronic care management, as a remote patient monitoring nurse, and has experience as an Assistant Director of Nursing.