1. ROLE PLAY AN ALTERNATIVE TEACHING STRATEGY
Presented by;
Reinette Charles, RN, BSN
and
Angela Wright Glover, RN, BSN
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember I do and I understand.” Confucius

2. Definition of Role Play
Role play is a method by which learners participate in an unrehearsed dramatization, acting out an assigned part of a character as they think the character would act in reality.
Bastable, S. B. (2008). Nurse as Educator (3rd Ed.). Boston: Jones and Bartlett.

3. Role Play (cont’d) This method of teaching is intended to;
Arouse feelings
Elicit emotional responses
Achieve behavioral objectives
Role playing is a method that teaches learners real life situations to develop understanding of other people.
When used in nursing, role play can be used to test a nurse’s leadership, delegation, and prioritization skills.

4. How is Role Playing linked to an Education Theory?
People learn through observing others’ behaviors, attitudes and outcomes of those behaviors. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states that people learn from one another via, observation, imitation, and modeling.
People learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors. “Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” (Bandura).

5. When can Role Playing be used?
Teaching delegation skills to new nurses
Teaching assertiveness skills to new nurse
To enhance clinical understanding
To enhance communication skills
Role playing is used to teach learners real life situation to develop understanding of other people. It gives the learner an opportunity to explore feelings and attitudes. Nurse educators have used role play to supplement their teaching in order for the student to learn about human interaction and empathy.

6. Creating the setting
When creating the setting to use role play a quiet environment must be provided. The teacher must be sure that the group has attained a comfort level that allow each member to feel secure enough to participate in dramatization.
Learners should:
Establish rapport with one another
All members should be given an assignment to ensure they are actively involved.
Actual participants should be informed about the role they will play
After a role is played out, participants as well as observers should be given the opportunity to have a debriefing session. Because this method is most effective for learning in the affective domain, all participants need to discuss how they felt and share what they observed to gain insight into their understanding of interpersonal relationships and their reactions to role expectations or conflicts.

7. Benefits of using Role Playing
Chance to explore feelings and attitudes
Potential for bridging the gap between understanding and feeling.
Collaborative learning.
Students become active participants in their education
rather than passive observers.

8. Benefits of using Role Playing
Interpersonal skills are not easier than technical skills
Active Learning rather than passive observers
Immediate feedback from peers and instructor
Students interest in material is increase
Involvement helps implant concepts
Students become active participants in their education
rather than passive observers.

9. Complexity of using Role Playing
The teacher can direct/limit the learner
Maybe in accurate due to real life experiences.
Group size is normally limited.
High expectations
Peer performance anxiety
Feedback is necessary to improve the skill that is being taught.

10. Evaluation
Role playing is able to help the learner develop skills and knowledge that they did not have prior to the experience. It also enables the learner to be able to give feedback to improve the proficiency they need for when the situation presents itself. The student levels of familiarity with subject matter helps build confidence when a similar situation presents itself. What better way to teach about the real world but to act like it is the real world.

11. Conclusion
Role playing techniques can serve as an effective substitute for, and supplement to, simulation technology when teaching clinical nursing skills. It can provide a risk free environment and an opportunity to practice clinical skills and develop clinical judgment. It allows the learner to build patient care skills while applying theoretical knowledge in a controlled setting.

12. References
Bastable, S. B. (2008). Nurse as Educator (3rd Ed.). Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
Comer, S.K. (2005). Patient Care Simulations: Role Playing to Enhance Clinical Understanding. Nursing Education Prospectives, 357 – 361.
Glendon, K., & Ulrich, D. (2004). Tips and strategies for Faculty. Nurse Educator, 29, 91.
Jeffries, P. R. (Ed.). (2007). Simulation in Nursing Education (Ed.). New York: NLN.
Nehring, W.M., & Lashley, F.R. (2009). Nursing Simulation: A Review of the Past 40 Years. Simulation & Gaming Retrieved April 5th from
Learning-theories.com/social-learning-therory-bandura.html. Retrieved April 3, 2010
Rosenbaum, M. E., Fergusson, K. J., & Lobas, J. G. (in press). Teaching Medical Students and Residents skills for Dilivering Bad News: A Review of strategies. Academic Medicine. Retrieved March 30th 2010, from
Weissan, M. A., Bensigner, L., & Koester, J. L. (2006). Resident as teacher: Educating the educators. The mount Sinia Journal of Medicine, 73(8), Retrieved from