Igniting The Fire - An Innovative Escape Room

Central Michigan University (CMU) staff and faculty presented on an innovative, ongoing collaboration at CMU during an educational session at the 17^th Annual Physical Therapy Education Leadership Conference. This conference was co-hosted by the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Education in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 29, 2022. The title of their session was: “Igniting the Fire: Immersing Students in Their Role using Innovative Physical Therapy Simulation Escape Rooms.” 

The CMU faculty discussed the literature in support of gamification in healthcare simulation educational activities, including the benefits for educational practice in a real-time clinical immersion activity with standardized patients.  Participants were provided with a “blueprint” for designing and constructing their own innovative healthcare escape rooms and presented the execution of the Department of Physical Therapy’s novel orthopedic cases, as well as thematic and reflective findings. Findings were revealed related to team and individual communication and professional development observed during the escape room activity at CMU. 

This was a collaborative CMU community effort between Amy Malheim, MS, Director of the Interprofessional Education and Practice Center in the College of Health Professions; Drs. Karen Grossnickle and Jessica Sullivan, faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions; and Dr. Elizabeth Carlson, Department of Communication, College of Arts and Media. The audience included both physical therapist students and physical therapist assistant student educators. Both were highly engaged and very receptive to this form of educational activity that allows learners to make choices and explore the outcomes of their choices in a safe and realistic environment during their professional graduate training.