Authors

  1. Pirani, Sarah DNP, APRN-Rx, FNP-C

Article Content

Nurse practitioners (NPs) in the family and adult-gerontology primary care specialties are expected to provide care for patients from adolescents to end of life. However, many courses often focus on a specific age group or contain learning units organized by individual body systems. It is essential for NP students in these programs to learn the continuity of care across various developmental stages. "Learn With the Aging Patients" provides students with an opportunity to create their patients from adolescents to end of life, using a reverse case study method. Students are given the diagnoses and age brackets of their patients, along with a framework and guiding questions 1 week before class (Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/NE/A914). Each hour in class, their patients age approximately 10 to 20 years. With each new age bracket, their patient develops a new condition. Students work in small groups during class, using Zoom breakout rooms. After creating their patients using the guide in the Supplemental Digital Content, every group presents their patient to the class, focusing on the pertinent positive and negative data, diagnostic reasoning, and care plan. Faculty and students then discuss unanswered questions and key takeaways from each case. Students reported that this was an effective learning activity. It helped them see the whole spectrum, hone their diagnostic reasoning skills, and improve their ability to establish an evidence-based plan for common conditions in primary care.