During nursing studies, there is rarely enough time to practice enough the needed skills to make students feel competent and confident. When entering an operating room, students often feel particularly nervous. As a working environment, it is strict and disciplined, that adds anxiety especially when the practicing time in busy teaching premises is limited due to, for example, spatial resources.
Learning by selecting
As a part of 360ViSi project, Turku University of Applied Sciences’ Turku Game Lab together with Nursing studies, have started to solve the problem by creating an education game placed in an operating room.
When playing, the student first sees a 360° demo video of surgery. In front of the student, one of the nurses is handing instruments to the surgeon according to his requests.
When starting the actual game, the student sees the surgeon and the selection of instruments. The task is to, according to the instructions, select and hand over the correct one. The key to the learning is the immediate feedback to the choices the student makes. In the end, the player sees the scores, the time used per instrument and the number of correct and wrong answers are shown.
Unlike during simulations or internships, the game gives the student a possibility to rehearse countless times. This leads to strengthened self-confidence and supporting his or her learning. Once the student gets to practice, he or she can concentrate on the aspects going beyond the basics.
