A unique presentation of a classic learning tool, this activity is an interactive, engaging, unfolding case study in a card deck.

Designed to mirror nursing care at the bedside, students work through gathering and noticing important assessment data, organizing and identifying priority problems, and carrying out nursing interventions.

I just wanted to re-iterate just how impressed I am with the Escape Deck. I played through it by myself before having the students do it and I love all of it. You put so much thought and detail into this game. The students have had good feedback as well. It’s challenging but not so much that they cannot get through.

-Cheryl

I got my escape room deck today and OMG you put so much effort into these. They were worth every penny. I am working my way through Josh Barnes now and it is awesome! I even bought a second deck to share with one of my University med-surg class instructors. This deck is so innovative, I love it!

-Kayla

Give students the Deck and some workspace

Choose a deck based on the level of your students or the content you want to cover. Give them space to work and they will take off!

See the available decks below.

students work through the case studies and puzzles

Using the cards and QR codes that students scan with a device, the puzzles are presented in an engaging format - including Next-Gen NCLEX-style questions!

Lead an amazing debriefing session

A printed, spiral-bound booklet accompanies the deck and gives you answer keys with rationale, ideas to increase application or difficulty, and debriefing discussion points for each scenario.

watch as your classroom transforms

The deck and the guide will give you the tools to lead an active learning classroom and grow your confidence to experiment.

Clinical Units

• Fluid and Electrolytes Emergency Department (5 patient scenarios)

• Fundamentals Surgical Unit (4 patient scenarios)

Individual Patients

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Schizophrenia

• Prenatal Preeclampsia

• Myocardial Infarction (MI)

Giving students a safe place to practice a variety of skills is an essential role of the educator.

There is core nursing content included in the deck such as prioritization, lifespan considerations, skills (IV fluid and NG tube management), medication calculations, lab analysis, and managing interruptions!

In addition, students are also able to practice “soft” skills such as teamwork, communication, organization, and decision-making.

This interactive activity also gives students confidence, allows for self-direction in learning, and exposure to making decisions while managing multiple, competing demands.

All of these skills are difficult to practice with lecture alone!

The students worked through the Escape Deck this week in post-conference and really enjoyed it. It brought about a lot of great discussion, especially the choice regarding oxygen masks. It was a great review for the last clinical day.

-Maria

I love your stuff and use it all the time! The Escape Deck was a great segway from our larger simulation and is awesome for clinical downtime.

-Betsy

A small, portable tool to bring to your clinical or classroom. It requires minimal space and only a handheld student device (like a phone or tablet).

Theory Instructors

• Those who teach in a classroom setting

Clinical Instructors

• Those who facilitate learning in a clinical setting

Nurse Educators

• Those who develop education for new or practicing nurses

Simulation Coordinators

• Those who manage a nursing simulation lab

1. So what do I get when I purchase a deck?

You get a complete case study as card deck along with the answer key/debriefing guide.

• Clinical Units are 100 card decks

• Individual Patients are between 25-28 cards

2. What is included in the answer key and debriefing guide?

• A step-by-step walk-through of the entire game from start to finish.  All answers are provided.  

• Areas of the game that are important in debriefing and supporting rationale. 

• Ideas for modifications to include further analysis or application.

• Additional application activities to continue working with the patient scenarios on a deeper level.

• Images of the cards and puzzles so students will never get stuck and frustrated.

3. What kind of nursing content is included?

You can refer to the individual descriptions for specific types of content included in each.
General nursing concepts are implemented throughout every deck, including noticing/assessment, interpreting cues, lifespan considerations, nursing skills, medication calculations, lab value analysis, and my favorite - constant interruptions.  It is as close to a real shift as you can get!

4. What if all my classes are online, does this translate to virtual classrooms?

Unfortunately, this activity does not translate to virtual learning. The card deck is designed for students to work in person within a group.  The cards are essential to completing the activity.  If you teach exclusively online, I offer a walk-through of creating a virtual escape room HERE. 

5. What if I have zero active learning experience? 

No big deal!  This activity is designed to to be easy to implement.  Hand over the deck to the student group, decide how you want them to come to you with questions (othere is also the option to give them the answer key to use if they get stuck) and finally take the students through debriefing at the end.  When it was created, the idea was for the instructor to be as hands-off as possible, allowing the students to take ownership of the activity and the learning.  After all, the brain that does the thinking does the learning!

6. Do I need more than one deck?

That depends on your class size. I recommend a group size between 2 and 6 students. Here are some ideas for utilizing a single deck:

• Use a deck as part of a rotational activity in the classroom - where students rotate between various activities that are either independent or instructor-led.

• Use a deck on an overhead projector and work through the content as a large group

• Students may use an individual deck during clinical downtime.

• The deck makes an interactive post-conference activity.

• It could be used as a make-up clinical activity or on a low-census day.

• The activity is perfect for an end of a unit review or practice before an exam.

I have special pricing available if your school wants to purchase multiple decks. Please send me an email to inquire.