Improvisation Theater Exercises: A Novel Approach to Teach Communication Skills.

Background: Nurse practitioner students need effective communication skills to provide patient-centered care and work in diverse health care teams. Improvisation exercises, adapted from theater training, have been used to improve communication skills with health professions education and can be used in nurse practitioner education.

Method: Fifty-eight family nurse practitioner students participated in a 2-hour workshop where they learned four improvisation exercises to improve listening skills, observational skills, and the ability to respond in the moment.

Innovative Intraprofessional Clinical Training for Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioner Students.

Background: Most graduate nursing education curricula naturally segregate students by role as they move into their role-specific coursework and clinical experiences. Segregation diminishes the opportunity for students to form important intraprofessional relationships. Intraprofessional collaboration can potentiate the influence of advanced practice nurses on individual patients, patient populations, and larger health care systems.