Throughputs
Jeopardy-style Game Learning: A Strategy for Competency Validation
January 22, 2025 — Rosa Rousseau, DNP, MSN Ed, CHSE, RNC-NIC, NPT
Marisol Jimenez, MSN, RN
Nurse competence, defined as the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform fundamental job expectations safely and competently, is the bedrock of our profession. As nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners, we must devise effective competency validation methods. These methods should engage nurses with diverse learning styles and across generations, ensuring that our profession upholds the highest standards of safe and competent practice.
Blending Tradition With Innovation
Embracing a blend of tradition and innovation, we developed the “Beat the Code Blue Game,” a Jeopardy-like game. This innovative approach integrates the required behavioral indicators of our institution's Emergency Response competency into the familiar Jeopardy-style board, offering a fresh and engaging method of competency validation. NPD practitioners rely on task-oriented skills rather than critical thinking when validating competencies. This game-based approach makes validating competencies fun and interactive while promoting team building and critical thinking skills.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Nursing Department supports and encourages inclusive and innovative learning environments where our clinical research nurses apply the knowledge and skills gained to provide expert patient care. The NIH pediatric unit NPD practitioners come together twice yearly to conduct three full days of competency validation activities using a station rotation approach. The competency validation agenda combines psychomotor and cognitive assessment activities that integrate our pediatric scope of practice, performance improvement, patient safety, and critical thinking.
The Setup
The Beat the Code Blue Game (Fig. 1) included four categories: Code Blue or Rapid Response, What's My Role, Signs and Symptoms, and Location, Location! Each category presented nurses with phrases posed as questions ranging from 100 to 500 points. We carefully selected the questions to align them with our Emergency Response competency. Nurses had opportunities to answer questions about identifying the differences between calling a rapid response and a code blue, critically think about a response for a patient presenting with a stroke, and physically demonstrate how to check for unresponsiveness. We developed the activity using a PowerPoint template. We then set up the room with hands-on equipment, such as a mock defibrillator, a manikin for cardiac compressions, and other resuscitation equipment. The setup and takedown were of little burden to our team since it took less than 15 minutes. Pre-preparation was required from the nurses, who had a brief 20-minute online module on our institution's emergency response, policy, and processes, which is housed in our learning management system. To participate in the activity, nurses needed to submit their course certificate of completion as validation of completion.
Access our game via DropBox. Anyone can download and edit as desired.
Figure 1
Beat the Code Blue Game
Competency validation is a dynamic assessment of a nurse's performance. However, when responding to an emergency, a well-coordinated, collaborative, and synergistic team can make a difference between life and death. During the activity, nurses were split into two small groups of two to three, allowing them to compete against each group. For each round, each group selected a category and a point value. The point value was added to the group's total score if the group answered correctly and within the allotted one-minute of time. If the group failed to respond, the second group could steal points if answering the question correctly. Winners were rewarded with “bragging” rights, a picture spot in the newsletter, and a unit email announcement.
Evaluation: More Games Please!
Following the activity, nurses were asked to complete an anonymous course evaluation. The Beat the Code Blue Game was overwhelmingly well-received, with 99% of participants stating the activity was effective, enhanced their knowledge of emergency response, and enhanced teamwork. Additional comments from nurse participants included "Appreciating the interactivity and teamwork," "More engaging activities, please!" and "This was awesome." The popularity of the Beat the Code Blue Game has extended to nursing orientation and other topics within our facility. This Jeopardy-like game can be easily adapted to capture a range of audiences, from new nurse graduates to seasoned nurses, and even to include multidisciplinary groups.
This article is answer to a myriad of requests Rosa received in the Neighborhood (ANPD's members-only online community) for her Jeopardy game resources. Join the conversation on the Neighborhood! And if you have a resource to share, consider writing for NPD in Motion.
References
- Ellis, G. (2020). Pharmacotherapy update and review for family medicine residents using Jeopardy-style game. MedEdPortal, The AAMC Journal of Teaching and Learning Resources, 16(10941). https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_237-8265-10941.
- Hancock, K. J., Klimber, V. S., Williams, T. P., Tyler, D. S., Radhakrishnan, R., & Tran, S. (2021). Surgical Jeopardy: Play to Learn. Association for Academic Surgery, 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2020.07.050
- Levine, J. (2014). An organizational competency validation strategy for registered nurses. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 30(2), 58-65. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000041.
- Sanders, J. R., Arce-Trigatti, A., & Arce, P. E. (2020). Promoting student problem-identification skills via a Jeopardy-inspired game within the Renaissance Foundry. Education for Chemical Engineers, 30, 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2019.10.001.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ANPD.
Rosa Rousseau, DNP, MSN Ed, CHSE, RNC-NIC, NPT
Pediatrics/Neuroscience Service Line Nurse Educator, National Institutes of Health
Dr. Rosa Rousseau is a doctoral-prepared nurse educator with over two decades of experience teaching in academic and clinical settings. She serves as a service line Nurse educator for pediatrics and neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. She is passionate about nursing education and lifelong learning. Dr. Rousseau embraces innovative teaching strategies and facilitates continuous development and learning of healthcare teams. She is an expert in healthcare simulation and has presented at national and international conferences on various topics that elevate the nursing professional development practice.
Marisol Jimenez, MSN, RN
Pediatrics Clinical Educator, National Institutes of Health
With 12 years of dedicated nursing experience, Ms. Jimenez began her career specializing in pediatric neurology and emergency care. She transitioned to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she serves as a clinical research nurse, contributing to groundbreaking research in pediatric hematology/oncology. She blends her clinical expertise with a passion for education. She develops and implements educational programs for nursing staff, fosters professional development, and ensures high-quality care for pediatric patients in clinical trials.