title: 'Putting words into action' project: using role play in skills training.
abstract: Research highlights the need to use experienced role-players with skilled facilitation to deliver effective communication skills training (CST) but this is challenging in a large faculty of health. In this pilot project, students from Birmingham City University's School of Acting and role-players from the Learning Disability nursing programme received role-player training (Phase I) before delivering 26 CST sessions to 520 first year BSc nursing students (Phase II), using role-plays based on clinical scenarios in adult, mental health, learning disability and children's nursing. A pre- and post-session survey assessed student confidence, with feedback gathered from role-players, and facilitators. Pre-session confidence levels in students who participated and observed the role-play were similar, and using Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney non-parametric tests, a statistically significant increase in post-session confidence levels was demonstrated across all four fields of nursing. This increase in confidence applied to role-play participating students and observers, although role-playing students gained the largest confidence increase. A Higher Education Academy Collaborative Grant extended the project in 2012/13.
authors.affiliation: Birmingham City University.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Boyle-Duggan
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dee
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sellner
authors.forename: Stevie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gorman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000379:methods*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D016544:Patient Simulation; D012381:Role Playing