Nursing video game?

[Lexi256]

Do any of you think it is possible to see the roles nurses and CNAs play in any healthcare setting as a video game? I'm not heavily into gaming, never have been, but for some reason I kind of began to see work as sort of like a game, specially after I began working in the hospital.

I thought it would be cool if the game could be situated in a med/surge setting, probably because that's where I've worked for almost a year now and it's all I know.

-Players can choose either day shift or night shift.

-The objective of the game is to finish all the tasks for the patients within the 12 hour period.

I thought it would be cool if players could begin as CNAs and then somehow increase their know and move up a level to CNA2, . . . then maybe into a nurse? (please don't beat me up!)

I thought that a game like this might help to give those thinking about going into nursing some idea of time management and see what really goes on in a healthcare setting. That being said I also would like for situations to be as realistic as possible and not glamourized as it is on T.V. So there would be a lot of mess, urine, blood, poop, the whole shebang! All while trying to give the best care to your patients. At the end of the game you have to give report to the next shift! ;D

I thought the title "MedSurg, The Race Against Time" would be an appropriate title to describe the scenario the game is depicting. Because toward the end of the shift it usually feels like you're racing against time to finish everything you are doing.

[Sour Lemon]

I'm under the impression that being task oriented is a bad thing when it comes to nursing ...not how we'd want our work to be portrayed. I do admire your sense of creativity, though. I kind of like the idea of turning a game off instead of giving report.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I had a simulation thing to do in nursing school that was kind of like a video game. You had to go in and assess the right stuff and do the right intervention. I'll never forget it because my patient died. I was too slow.

I really took it to heart. My mom was like, oh calm down it's just a game.

[Lexi256]

If you mean that a nurse should be more patient focused instead of just task oriented then I totally agree. In fact I really don't think a video game could fully help people grasp what it's really like to care for real people who need care at the worst times in their lives.

[Lexi256]

The simulation sounds like fun but stressful at the same time. The fact that you took the death of your "patient" to heart, even in a simulation, shows how much you care to know exactly what to do for your patient.

[Aunt Slappy]

I'm under the impression that being task oriented is a bad thing when it comes to nursing

Try telling that to your supervisor when you haven't charted all the tasks you're supposed to complete during your shift!

I get what you're trying to say, but let's face it, nursing very often comes down to tasks.

[Sour Lemon]

Try telling that to your supervisor when you haven't charted all the tasks you're supposed to complete during your shift!

I get what you're trying to say, but let's face it, nursing very often comes down to tasks.

Do they actually check that stuff in some places? I had two years of "mandatory" charting forms stacked in my locker when I left my first nursing job. The "director reviewed them daily", but didn't notice that mine were missing for two years. Task smask. I no longer fall for it. But yeah, there's "stuff" I've got to get done that does matter.

[Davey Do]

Do any of you think it is possible to see the roles nurses and CNAs play in any healthcare setting as a video game?

Great idea, Lexi!

In the same vein, pun intended, there have been electronic games in the past that simulated medical procedures.

One example of a battery-operated game of physical skill that tested players' hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills came out in 1965.

Here's a pic:

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[Davey Do]

Lexi, it sounds like something similar has been done:

Medscape: Medscape Access

"Innovative Simulations and Games:

Computers are already mainstream educational tools. But video games? The idea of playing a video game to learn a serious discipline, such as nursing, could be a little harder to accept. Video games are known primarily for their entertainment value. The word "game" itself implies "fun." Should learning ever be fun? Can students and nurses learn anything useful while playing video games?"

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Medscape requires free registration to access articles. Karen

[Wuzzie]

Will it have flames and explosions and people running for their lives cuz that's how my day is going right about now.

[ThePsychWhisperer, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

Ooooo, can we do emergency room and psychiatric expansion packs?! In the ER version, we can simulate having four patients. One is having a stroke, one has an abdominal evisceration from sternum to groin, one is mid-blood transfusion with new onset fever, crackles, and symptomatic V-tach, and one patient is in the hallway, screaming for a sandwich and Dee-la-la. You have one doctor and no techs. You must keep all of your patients alive until oncoming shift while management yells at you to go faster.

The psych pack will feature lots of hallucinations, BPD, and poop-smearing fun! Events randomized on each play through.