Fun way to present case studies..anyone have ideas?

maybe you could act out the scenario (pt. coming into ER, dr. and nurses diagnosing pt. , ect...) kind of like a play???I;m not very creative!

Could you do a jab at a TV game show, like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I don't know how much time you have, but it could be fun. Or a Lifestyles of the rich and famous segment, except turn it into Life changes of the sick and hospitalized. Instead of visiting classy resorts, you could visit the cath lab, etc. and instead of pricey meals, you could indulge in pricey meds.

I'm not very creative either- that's the best I can offer!

Maybe you could act it out but involve the class also. For example, the "patient" (one of the group members--"Person A") could be on a stretcher and the "nurse" (Person B) could be a nurse coming to examine them. The nurse would ask the patient if they were having any problems and the "patient" could say "Well, I have numbness in my arm and I'm having trouble speaking". The nurse would then assess the patient but she could also ask the class for input--"What special assessments should I do here?" "What diagnostic test should I suggest the resident obtain"?) As you go through the various stages (assessment, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation) your group can ask the class for input. Then at the end you could have a brief Powerpoint presentation on CVA's--what symptoms you would see, what assessments to perform, what diagnostic tests to do, and treatment options. You could choose any setting you like--ED, ICU, telemetry. I remember when I worked telemetry, I had a patient that had a stroke during the night--she couldn't speak to me at all the next morning and had been fine when I assessed her at first rounds (I worked night shift at the time).

When I went through my grad program, we had a semester where we had to interview a "patient" (one of our classmates) and go through a process of determining diagnosis, and we asked the class for input at different times. What I'm suggesting is a variation of this (except you could demonstrate the actual exam components (various aspects of a neuro exam).

It is my experience and opinion that people learn better and pay more attention when they are involved, so the more interactive you can make it, the better. Good luck to you!

Laurie

MSN, CRNP

Cardiac cath lab