Authors

  1. Chen, Jian (Lily) MA, RN, CNE
  2. VanRiel, Yolanda PhD, RN, MEDSURG-BC, OCN, CNE, ANEF
  3. Patel, Farah Nursing Student

Article Content

Group projects related to current events and students personally can be an effective teaching strategy.1 Mental health crisis associated with COVID-19 is another pandemic in and of itself. When 42 students were asked to rate their stress and anxiety levels on a scale of 0 (low) to 5 (high), 69% rated it at 3 and 57% at 3 and above. During the September National Suicide Prevention Awareness month, students were asked to create mental health Public Service Announcements or PSAs. A documentary movie "Wake Up" screening was offered for the class. "Wake Up" contains powerful stories about 4 groups of individuals and their families dealing with mental illness, including a college student group.2 A quiz followed, and students were also taught how to create PSAs with concrete examples before they created PSAs themselves. Supplemental Digital Content, Figure (available at: http://links.lww.com/NE/B95) is an example of one of PSAs created by a student group. PSAs were graded anonymously by a group consisting of a communication professional, a psychiatrist, young professionals, persons with lived experiences with mental illness, and advocates. Using experiential learning principles for creating PSAs was a positive learning experience for students.

 

References

 

1. Wong FMF. A phenomenological research study: perspectives of student learning through small group work between undergraduate nursing students and educators. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;68:153-158. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2018.06.013 [Context Link]

 

2. Townsend N. Wake up: stories from the frontlines of suicide prevention. 2020. Accessed .... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10596982/[Context Link]