NR 536 Week 7 Designing an Experiential Learning Activity

Student Name

Chamberlain University

NR-536: Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology & Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Experiential Learning Activity

Part 1: Foundation for the Learning Activity

Experiential learning represents a dynamic educational approach within nursing education that integrates theoretical instruction, hands-on practice, and professional conduct into a cohesive framework. It combines intellectual understanding, psychomotor performance, ethical decision-making, and effective communication. Through this approach, nurses engage in structured experiences that allow them to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application (Jones & Guthrie, 2012). Rather than passively absorbing information, learners participate in active methodologies such as simulations, role-play exercises, and reflective dialogues (Nunes et al., 2015).

The purpose of this project is to create a structured experiential learning activity tailored for nurses with less than two years of professional experience. The intent is to enhance their clinical proficiency, communication effectiveness, and ethical decision-making. Utilizing a realistic simulation environment, this learning design provides novice nurses the opportunity to handle complex healthcare challenges within a safe and supervised setting, promoting confidence and professional growth.

Description of the Experiential Learning Activity

This activity will be conducted in a simulation skills laboratory designed to replicate an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) environment. The lab will feature a high-fidelity human patient simulator (HPS) that mimics patients with chronic health conditions. The exercise will be part of a structured mentorship initiative to support recent nursing graduates transitioning into clinical practice.

Each team of five participants will assume designated roles mirroring real ICU responsibilities. A senior mentor or nurse educator will oversee the exercise, assessing critical components such as communication patterns, teamwork, patient safety interventions, and ethical decision-making behaviors. To maintain consistency, all groups will receive a standardized case scenario outlining the patient’s history, objectives, and team expectations. Mentors will intervene only if learning goals are compromised.

Following the simulation, participants will engage in a reflective debriefing session. This phase allows nurses to self-assess and peer-review performance, identifying areas for personal and collective improvement. The reflective process follows Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, emphasizing the stages of concrete experience, reflective observation, conceptual analysis, and active experimentation. This cyclical model encourages continuous growth and skill mastery.

Learning Objectives

The simulation activity aims to achieve the following core objectives:

Enhance interprofessional communication and teamwork to strengthen patient care coordination.
Promote ethical and evidence-based decision-making to support safe and patient-centered outcomes.
Cultivate civility and respect in workplace interactions, reinforcing professional standards in diverse clinical situations.

These goals are incorporated into the simulation to mirror authentic healthcare environments, fostering the competencies required for safe, ethical, and collaborative nursing practice.

Part 2: Presentation of the Learning Activity

Description of the Setting

The simulation setting replicates a hospital ICU comprising two adjacent patient rooms and a connecting central hallway. The primary ICU chamber will include a patient on a mechanical ventilator diagnosed with congestive heart failure and at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

The setup of the simulation area is outlined below:

Area	Description
ICU	Contains a ventilator, cardiac monitors, and an HPS mannequin simulating a critically ill patient with chronic conditions.
Adjacent Room 1	Houses a patient with moderate respiratory distress requiring continuous monitoring.
Adjacent Room 2	Contains a post-operative patient recovering from abdominal surgery.
Observation Hallway	Circular seating area for observers and mentors to analyze team interactions.

Participants will rotate through various professional roles such as bedside nurse, charge nurse, support nurse, and observer. Each role contributes to the holistic management of patient care and interprofessional collaboration.

Identification of the Characters and Roles

Every participant in the simulation will assume a role designed to reflect authentic clinical strengths and challenges. The characters and their primary attributes are described in the table below:

Character	Role & Attributes
Nurse Educator	Functions as the facilitator and mentor; observes performance, provides feedback, and ensures alignment with objectives.
Nurse Leader	Demonstrates assertive decision-making and communication skills but occasionally lacks patience in stressful situations.
Nurse 1	Works as the bedside ICU nurse; calm and cooperative, yet occasionally uncertain about assertive communication.
Nurse 2	Handles triage and hygiene duties; empathetic, energetic, and supportive of peers.
Nurse 3	Experienced and confident but prone to dominating behavior, leading to potential conflict.
Nurse 4	Reliable and competent but introverted, hesitant to intervene during conflict.

Outline of the Scenario

The scenario features three patients with diverse conditions:

ICU Patient: A 65-year-old with congestive heart failure on mechanical ventilation.
Room 1 Patient: Individual experiencing moderate respiratory distress.
Room 2 Patient: A post-surgical patient in recovery.

A conflict emerges when a family member complains about a missed physiotherapy session. During an investigation, Nurse 1 discovers that the ventilator is improperly positioned, creating a safety concern. When Nurse 1 addresses the issue, Nurse 3 reacts defensively, escalating the situation into incivility. Nurse 2 reports the issue to the Nurse Leader, while Nurse 4 observes silently. The Nurse Leader steps in to mediate the dispute, promoting teamwork and ethical resolution.

Interactions between the Characters

Sample Dialogue:

Nurse 3: “Why are you interfering in my patient’s care?”
Nurse 1: “The family expressed concern about the physiotherapy delay, and I noticed the ventilator was not positioned at the proper 30-degree angle. I only want to ensure patient safety.” (Demonstrates professionalism and patient advocacy)
Nurse 3: “You’re inexperienced; this is my case. Don’t challenge me.” (Displays incivility and lack of collaboration)
Nurse 1: “I respect your experience, but patient safety comes first. I apologize if I seemed intrusive.” (Shows ethical reasoning and civility)

This dialogue highlights the importance of effective communication, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution in clinical teamwork.

Debriefing

Debriefing serves as the cornerstone of experiential learning, transforming experience into knowledge (Victor et al., 2015). The debriefing process unfolds in three distinct stages:

Phase	Description
Initial Briefing	The facilitator introduces the objectives, rules, and role expectations to participants (Romaniuk et al., 2020).
Scenario Walkthrough	Participants rehearse the activity, clarifying procedures and preparing for active simulation.
Post-Simulation Reflection	The group discusses ethical reasoning, communication gaps, and teamwork strategies under mentor supervision (Young & Dufrene, 2020).

This reflective process reinforces critical thinking, self-evaluation, and ethical awareness, allowing participants to transfer learned insights into real clinical settings.

Socratic Questions

How does open-ended communication differ from scripted dialogue in experiential learning?
Is it sufficient to conduct a single simulation with one group, or should repetition be applied?
What potential barriers (such as lack of resources or learner resistance) could hinder the success of this activity?

These Socratic questions stimulate analytical thinking, encouraging participants to evaluate the broader impact of experiential learning on professional growth and patient outcomes.

Conclusion

Experiential learning is a transformative strategy for developing clinical judgment and ethical reasoning among novice nurses. This ICU-based simulation reinforces essential competencies such as collaboration, communication, and conflict management. By aligning with Kolb’s experiential learning theory, this activity empowers new nurses to integrate knowledge into practice while maintaining professionalism and patient safety. Ultimately, it prepares them to navigate complex healthcare environments with confidence, empathy, and ethical integrity.

References

Jones, B., & Guthrie, K. (2012). Teaching and learning: Using experiential learning and reflection for leadership education. New Directions for Student Services. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20031

Nunes, S., Prado, M., Kempfer, S., & Martini, J. (2015). Experiential learning in nursing consultation education via clinical simulation with actors: Action research. Nurse Education Today, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2014.12.016

Romaniuk, D., Paula, M., & Liu, L. (2020). Comparison of debriefing methods after a virtual simulation: An experiment. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2018.03.002

NR 536 Week 7 Designing an Experiential Learning Activity

Victor, C., Turk, M., & Adamson, K. (2015). Effects of an experiential learning simulation design on clinical nursing judgment development. Nurse Educator, 40(5). https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000159

Young, A., & Dufrene, C. (2020). Successful debriefing—Best methods to achieve positive learning outcomes: A literature review. Nurse Education Today, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2013.06.02