Teaching Workplace Interprofessional Communication to Undergraduate Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Communication
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Ineffective communication poses risks to patient safety.
• Effective communication is a core competency for nursing students, as outlined by the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice.
• Developing these skills is crucial for safe patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate innovative strategies for teaching effective communication skills to nursing students.
• To enhance nursing students' ability to navigate difficult workplace conversations.

Main Methods:

• Development of educational materials, including trigger videos, focused on difficult workplace conversations.
• Surveying nursing students after instruction and exposure to simulated difficult conversations.
• Utilizing smartphone video submissions for practice and incorporating faculty and peer feedback.

Main Results:

• Students reported increased comfort in discussing medication errors and bullying scenarios.
• Students were more likely to address delegation issues but showed less certainty regarding reporting medication errors or bullying.
• Avoidance behaviors decreased for bullying scenarios, but uncertainty persisted for medication error discussions.

Conclusions:

• The project successfully implemented novel strategies to improve nursing students' communication competence.
• These innovative approaches contribute to better-prepared nursing professionals equipped for challenging communication scenarios.