Participant evaluation of team-based learning using one-off teams in a hospital setting

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) is a highly structured educational strategy that improves student engagement, promotes deeper learning and builds professional skills but has had limited use in nursing education. Aims: To examine participant experiences of TBL using one-off teams in a hospital setting. Method: A prospective exploratory design was used in an urban district hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The sample was 49 registered nurses. The intervention was a TBL-based education program focused on assessment and management of adult patients with isolated distal limb injuries. Data were collected using two instruments that evaluated participant experiences of the narrated slide presentation and participant experiences of learning of using TBL. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results: The results revealed two key themes: "quality of learning" and "positive team experience". The presentation was accessed twice or more by 51% of participants. Participants perceived a high quality of learning: 95.5% stated that their learning expectations were met or exceeded. Three quarters of participants (77.5%) commented about the contribution of their team members. Conclusion: Participants in this study thought TBL provided them a positive learning experience, as individuals and as teams. Education methodologies that focus on professional attributes and behaviours in addition to clinical skill are well suited to emergency nursing whereby nurses have to be theoretically prepared for practice and work well in teams. Relevance to clinical practice: TBL has a natural synergy with the requirements of advanced nursing practice and offers a positive learning experience that enhances clinical outcomes. Copyright (C) 2014 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia Ltd