'Putting words into action' project: using role play in skills training

Research highlights the need to use experienced role-players with skilled facilitation to deliver effective communication skills training (CST) but this is challenging in a large faculty of health. In this pilot project, students from Birmingham City University's School of Acting and role-players from the Learning Disability nursing programme received role-player training (Phase I) before delivering 26 CST sessions to 520 first year BSc nursing students (Phase II), using role-plays based on clinical scenarios in adult, mental health, learning disability and children's nursing. A pre- and post-session survey assessed student confidence, with feedback gathered from role-players, and facilitators. Pre-session confidence levels in students who participated and observed the role-play were similar, and using Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney non-parametric tests, a statistically significant increase in post-session confidence levels was demonstrated across all four fields of nursing. This increase in confidence applied to role-play participating students and observers, although role-playing students gained the largest confidence increase. A Higher Education Academy Collaborative Grant extended the project in 2012/13.