{"id":12291,"date":"2025-06-04T09:14:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T14:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12291"},"modified":"2025-06-04T09:14:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T14:14:36","slug":"health-care-partners-uwo-nursing-students-team-up-in-crucial-conversations-role-playing-workshop","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/health-care-partners-uwo-nursing-students-team-up-in-crucial-conversations-role-playing-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Health care partners, UWO nursing students team up in \u2018crucial conversations\u2019 role-playing workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Jamin Homan, director of patient safety for ThedaCare, addresses a large group of student nurses at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Oshkosh.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In freshly launched careers, new nurses are bound to find themselves in pressure-filled situations and sometimes difficult conversations with patients, patient families or even co-workers.<\/p>\n

To prepare nursing students for that reality\u2014and to facilitate a welcome dose of experiential learning alongside representatives from a spectrum of regional and state health care partners, including ThedaCare, Aspirus Health, Aurora Health Care, Froedtert Health, Park View Health Center and Winnebago Mental Health Institute\u2014University of Wisconsin\u2013Oshkosh Career & Professional Development developed an hour-long March workshop to delve into the \u201ccrucial conversations\u201d that lie ahead for health care professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployers tell us competent communication is in the Top 5 when it comes to being career-ready,\u201d said Jaime Page-Stadler, UW-Oshkosh\u2019s director of career and professional development. \u201cOur colleges take that very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UWO workshop began with an explanation of why conversations are crucial and moved quickly into several difficult patient scenarios where students were asked to decide the action they\u2019d take.<\/p>\n

Small groups had either a clinical instructor, nurse manager or human resources recruiter to assist the students as they talked through their \u201cstress response\u201d and what their problem-solving approach may be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that when a person experiences a medical situation, they will likely feel some level of concern or anxiety,\u201d said Jamin Homan, ThedaCare\u2019s director of patient safety, who noted that medical patients typically worry about test results, what a doctor might find or what they\u2019ll be advised to do. \u201cAs health care professionals, we are proud to support patients and families to help ease any anxiety they might be feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Smolinski, UWO assistant director of the traditional BSN program and clinical associate professor, said her class has follow-up conversations about stressors that can be part of their future careers. She tells students about the importance of understanding early what is expected and valued as an employee and if the employer\u2019s culture will be agreeable to them.<\/p>\n

Student Megan Lichter said the workshop encouraged self-examination and reflection. It had her thinking about things she normally doesn\u2019t\u2014situations that could happen\u2014and her response to stress, \u201csuch as whether I resort to getting defensive or angry or quiet.\u201d She appreciated learning self-defense techniques that could help her out of critical situations at her future workplace or even as a young adult in the real world.<\/p>\n

And Lichter added she now understands the importance of speaking up for herself in the workplace\u2014even if feels uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Essential know-how<\/h3>\n

Using high-impact role-playing, student nurses learned how they may need to delicately navigate their patient\u2019s needs\u2014and how to keep themselves safe in emotionally-charged environments.<\/p>\n

ThedaCare\u2019s Behavioral Emotional Response Team (BERT), through role-play, showed students how skills and strategy can help them handle challenges and stress in a constructive way.<\/p>\n

BERT members spoke of supportive measures that may help when a patient is anxious, assertive measures to employ when a patient is agitated, and defensive measures to initiate when certain triggers cause aggression.<\/p>\n

Students learned that 80% of the time, their own voice can address aggressive behavior\u2014with loud instructions to stop the behavior and details, such as \u201cdrop the chair,\u201d that co-workers can hear and prompt them to help. They were able to practice responses on each other in a safe learning environment.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

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As nurses handling patient care, \u201cwe\u2019re very much in their personal bubble,\u201d said Katie Ozark, registered nurse clinical manager of medical surgical services with ThedaCare. \u201c(And) everyone has different boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ozark said interventions can help the focus return to care for the patient.<\/p>\n

A step ahead<\/h3>\n

\u201cCrucial conversations are an essential part of preparing our student nurses for the realities of the healthcare environment,\u201d said UWO College of Nursing Dean Seon Yoon Chung. \u201cAs they enter the workforce, they will inevitably face pressure-filled situations and difficult conversations with patients, families and coworkers. This exercise equips them with the skills to navigate these emotionally charged scenarios effectively, such as navigating difficult conversations and managing stress, ensuring they can provide compassionate care while maintaining their own well-being. These skills are vital for their future careers in health care. By engaging in role-playing workshops, our students gain valuable experiential learning that enhances their competencies crucial for their success as health care professionals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The workshop was timely as the UWO College of Nursing expects to send nearly 100 graduates into the workforce this spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cUW Oshkosh graduate nurses are highly sought after because employers have actively engaged in their professional development while they are students,\u201d Page-Stadler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough hands-on learning, mentorship and real-world experiences, these graduates enter the workforce confident and prepared to make an immediate impact in the health care community. They overwhelmingly agree that UW-Oshkosh has given them the skills and knowledge needed for success and they are excited to begin their careers serving others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Laurie Schlosser<\/span><\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/126222\/health-care-partners-uwo-nursing-students-team-up-in-crucial-conversations-role-playing-workshop\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In freshly launched careers, new nurses are bound to find themselves in pressure-filled situations and sometimes difficult conversations with patients, patient families or even co-workers. To prepare nursing students for that reality\u2014and to facilitate a welcome dose of experiential learning alongside representatives from a spectrum of regional and state health care partners, including ThedaCare, Aspirus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":12296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[94],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-12291","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-oshkosh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/12291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=12291"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=12291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}