As part of Native American Heritage Month, Cherokee Nation citizen and the director of nursing professional development (NPD) at UC Davis Health, Sabrina McKinney, DNP, RN, NPDA-BC, NEA-BC, interweaves NPD Standard 9: Respectful and Equitable Practice with themes from a Cherokee story that illustrate the importance of knowledge sharing and inclusivity. When NPD practitioners effectively lead, mentor, and facilitate change, we develop nurses who are more prepared to practice, teach, lead, advocate, and improve care.

A simple, but thoughtfully designed game of bingo encourages active listening and more participation, turning a full-day orientation program with significant periods of lecture-based instruction and independent computer learning into a more interactive experience.

Gamification is emerging as a popular topic in nursing education right now, but is it more effective than a slideshow presentation. The modalities were tested head-to-head by one nursing professional development (NPD) team, and the results showed that gamification did show positive improvement in test results, retention of knowledge, and overall satisfaction from the learners.