Authors

  1. Yocom, Danielle DNP, RN, FNP-BC

Article Content

Facilitating meaningful connections between prelicensure students and older adults is challenging in the clinical setting related to generational differences. However, as the population continues to live longer with multiple chronic illnesses, it is critical to expose students to caring for older adults with increasingly complex issues. To support this goal, a digital storytelling project that focused on what prelicensure students learn from caring for older adults was implemented with the support of a university Provost Research Grant. After completing their gerontology clinical practicum, students developed storyboards featuring one of the residents for whom they cared. Then, the students used PowerPoint and Creative Commons resources to choose and insert images and animations, and record a voice-over to create the digital stories. The completed product was 3 to 5 minutes in length. Student resources for constructing the digital stories were assembled by faculty, with the support of university technology services, in a Learning Management System module. The students evaluated the experience positively as a means to promote health and wellness in older adults, express caring practices toward older adults, and encourage creative thinking and innovation. Students described the creation of digital stories as meaningful, heartwarming, fresh, and engaging. Digital storytelling serves as an innovative modality to create connections in nursing education.