Authors

  1. Milligan, Gary DNP, RN, CNE

Article Content

Nurse educators need to promote an environment of active learning in the classroom. One method to introduce students to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) system uses a group-based active learning exercise. Students are divided into groups of 12. Two students in the group are identified as a nurse manager and a nurse executive and are removed from the group. The remaining 10 students are provided a description of nursing care provided during a fictional 2-day stay at a local hospital and information about the fictional nurses' attitude, ability to work with others, and level of experience. Each group of students scores the fictional nurse based on the care and information provided by the instructor. The group is tasked with completing an HCAHPS survey from the patient's perspective; results are submitted to the instructor. The instructor sums the total score and provides the HCAHPS score for the fictional nurse to the 2 students in each group assigned the role of nurse manager and nurse executive. These students then complete a performance evaluation and determine the nurse's salary increase based upon the HCAHPS score. The scores are tabulated into a table and presented to the class; similarities and differences between scores are open for discussion. This exercise promotes an understanding of the HCAHPS survey in a single class session and how it may affect the students' future nursing practice.