What to do (with clinical students) when the census is LOW.....

One teaching colleague of mine has developed a set of written emergency scenarios. Each student researches and then presents a scenario, including medications, potential causes/patho, etc. along with a description of nursing care. She has found that students like this learning activity and it gives them exposure to relatively rare events that they are unlikely to experience in nursing school.

My area is psych, so, a little different, but -- I always "travel" with a few videotapes on psych topics that we can view and discuss; I have gotten clinicians in different disciplines (within the psych department) to talk to the students about their specific role, I've sent students to shadow house supervisors or observe in related outpatient areas, or done group role plays and case studies.

Sometimes you have to be v. creative ...