Lights, Camera, Action: Lessons Learned From a Nursing and Theater Collaboration

摘要

Background: Because nursing students do not always have opportunities to interact with individuals with mental illness due to various factors such as limited clinical sites, an innovative teaching strategy was developed. Method: A plan was developed to collaborate with the theater department to offer undergraduate theater students an opportunity to practice acting skills while taking an independent study. These theater students, trained as standardized patients ( SPs), engaged with senior nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric mental health nursing clinical course in a baccalaureate program. Results: This process has been successfully implemented for the past 2 years. With 10 theater students completing the independent study and 180 nursing students engaging in interactions with SPs, improvements in communication skills for nursing students have been seen. Conclusion: Because this is a pilot project, additional research should be conducted to further explore the effectiveness of learning for both nursing and theater students.