From left in foreground, Tammy Walters, RNc; Veronica Beard, RN; Mark Martinez, RN; and Gertrude Koomson, LPN, play Kernopoly, a game designed to teach nurses at Kernan Hospital. Photo courtesy of Roslyn P. Corasaniti.
It’s all fun and games at Kernan Hospital in Baltimore –– at least when it comes to staff education. Since people learn and retain information better when they’re enjoying themselves, Renee Boblitz, RN, BSN, BC, clinical practice coordinator in the professional development department, and Roslyn Corasaniti, RN, PhD, CRRN, professional development coordinator, have made education fun through facility-based variations on popular board games and television game shows, including Monopoly, Hollywood Squares, and Wheel of Fortune.
“Gaming is an effective methodology for teaching that has been well-studied in elementary, secondary, and higher education,” says Corasaniti. “Though our profession is serious, we believe we’re just kids at heart, and sometimes the best way to teach kids is through games. It’s how people relax and have fun, and if people are relaxed and having fun, they learn better.”
One of the hospital’s first attempts at making education fun and interactive was a variation on the carnival midway game, in which players use fishing rods with magnets at the end to snag toy fish. With the Kernan Hospital version, players catch numbered paper fish that correspond to specific questions regarding JCAHO preparedness.
Later, as part of a clinical nurse summit, Boblitz and Corasaniti used a computer-assisted design (CAD) printer to create Kernopoly –– a variation of Monopoly that emphasizes national patient safety goals and other topics. The paper tokens used to play the game are nurse-related and include items such as a stethoscope and a nurse’s cap.
“We were looking for a way to help people learn and remember a lot of disconnected information that didn’t require an in-service by itself, things that come out of mock surveys and codes –– basic information that we needed to remind employees about,” says Corasaniti. “Kernopoly was very helpful with that.”
Indeed, Kernopoly has proven to be one of Kernan Hospital’s biggest hits, adds Boblitz. “When players get questions correct, they receive play money, and if they get them wrong, they have to put money in, so it creates a little bit of competition for people to answer questions correctly,” she says. “It’s a good learning tool because it can be easily customized and adapted to almost any subject.”
Other popular educational games include Wheel of Safety and a variation on Hollywood Squares complete with photos of celebrities. While playing Wheel of Safety, participants spin a wheel and answer a question based on the category on which the wheel lands. Correct answers are rewarded with play money that can be redeemed for prizes such as gift cards, Boblitz says, so competition is spirited.
“We’ve learned that two things really matter when dealing with adults –– food and money,” laughs Corasaniti. “So we feed them and let them use play money. Everyone comes away feeling like a winner just for participating.”
The use of games and other innovative teaching tools has even trickled down to the orientation of new staff, reports Corasaniti. For example, new employees are sent on a scavenger hunt as a way of learning their way around the hospital. In every department they receive a special sticker that matches clip art on a sheet.
“Participants must work together to find the different departments, and they must introduce themselves to the people in each department to receive their stickers,” Corasaniti explains. “It forces them to say, ‘Hi, I’m new.’ And it makes the process a little more fun.
“I believe games like this help people relax and set the pace for the culture of the organization,” Corasaniti says. “If new employees know we’re about having fun while learning, it promotes a very good first impression of the organization. And for current employees who have been doing the same things for years and years, the games offer a new and different approach to common topics. There has to be a way to teach them without their thinking, ‘Here we go again.’”
Staff response to the use of educational games has been very positive, reports Valerie Summerlin, RN, MS, CNAA-BC, vice president of patient care services at Kernan Hospital.
“They love it!” she says. “It has proven to be a great way to learn.”
Boblitz and Corasaniti aren’t resting on their laurels. Though Kernopoly, Wheel of Safety, and other games have proved successful, they’re constantly looking for new, better –– and fun –– approaches to staff education.
“Gaming is an effective methodology for teaching that has been well-studied in elementary, secondary, and higher education,” says Corasaniti. “Though our profession is serious, we believe we’re just kids at heart, and sometimes the best way to teach kids is through games. It’s how people relax and have fun, and if people are relaxed and having fun, they learn better.”
One of the hospital’s first attempts at making education fun and interactive was a variation on the carnival midway game, in which players use fishing rods with magnets at the end to snag toy fish. With the Kernan Hospital version, players catch numbered paper fish that correspond to specific questions regarding JCAHO preparedness.
Later, as part of a clinical nurse summit, Boblitz and Corasaniti used a computer-assisted design (CAD) printer to create Kernopoly –– a variation of Monopoly that emphasizes national patient safety goals and other topics. The paper tokens used to play the game are nurse-related and include items such as a stethoscope and a nurse’s cap.
“We were looking for a way to help people learn and remember a lot of disconnected information that didn’t require an in-service by itself, things that come out of mock surveys and codes –– basic information that we needed to remind employees about,” says Corasaniti. “Kernopoly was very helpful with that.”
Indeed, Kernopoly has proven to be one of Kernan Hospital’s biggest hits, adds Boblitz. “When players get questions correct, they receive play money, and if they get them wrong, they have to put money in, so it creates a little bit of competition for people to answer questions correctly,” she says. “It’s a good learning tool because it can be easily customized and adapted to almost any subject.”
Other popular educational games include Wheel of Safety and a variation on Hollywood Squares complete with photos of celebrities. While playing Wheel of Safety, participants spin a wheel and answer a question based on the category on which the wheel lands. Correct answers are rewarded with play money that can be redeemed for prizes such as gift cards, Boblitz says, so competition is spirited.
“We’ve learned that two things really matter when dealing with adults –– food and money,” laughs Corasaniti. “So we feed them and let them use play money. Everyone comes away feeling like a winner just for participating.”
The use of games and other innovative teaching tools has even trickled down to the orientation of new staff, reports Corasaniti. For example, new employees are sent on a scavenger hunt as a way of learning their way around the hospital. In every department they receive a special sticker that matches clip art on a sheet.
“Participants must work together to find the different departments, and they must introduce themselves to the people in each department to receive their stickers,” Corasaniti explains. “It forces them to say, ‘Hi, I’m new.’ And it makes the process a little more fun.
“I believe games like this help people relax and set the pace for the culture of the organization,” Corasaniti says. “If new employees know we’re about having fun while learning, it promotes a very good first impression of the organization. And for current employees who have been doing the same things for years and years, the games offer a new and different approach to common topics. There has to be a way to teach them without their thinking, ‘Here we go again.’”
Staff response to the use of educational games has been very positive, reports Valerie Summerlin, RN, MS, CNAA-BC, vice president of patient care services at Kernan Hospital.
“They love it!” she says. “It has proven to be a great way to learn.”
Boblitz and Corasaniti aren’t resting on their laurels. Though Kernopoly, Wheel of Safety, and other games have proved successful, they’re constantly looking for new, better –– and fun –– approaches to staff education.
Don Vaughan is a freelance writer. To comment on this article, e-mail pmeredith@nursingspectrum.com.
