Name
Emergency Medicine Escape Room: An Interactive Strategy to Cultivate Clinical Reasoning and Collaborative Learning
Authors
Tasha Adams, Mercer University Kathleen Hoff, Mercer University
Date & Time
Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 12:15 PM - 12:29 PM
Presentation Category
Designing Holistic Programs: Growth-Oriented Assessment, Feedback, and Learner Development
Description
Purpose: To promote equitable learning opportunities and reinforce emergency medicine competencies, our physician assistant program developed an Emergency Medicine Escape Room as a formative, team-based learning experience. The activity was designed to cultivate clinical reasoning, communication, teamwork, and reflective learning through collaborative management of time-sensitive patient scenarios. Methods: The Emergency Department Escape Room was implemented during an EOR experience. Working in small groups, students progressed through a series of clinical cases requiring them to obtain histories, interpret physical examination findings and diagnostic studies, develop differential diagnoses, perform technical skills, prioritize emergent conditions, formulate management plans, and demonstrate effective communication and teamwork. Faculty facilitated debriefing throughout the activity, providing timely feedback that encouraged reflection, reinforced clinical reasoning, and identified opportunities for continued growth. Results: The escape room created a safe environment in which students actively applied clinical knowledge, practiced collaborative decision-making, and received formative feedback before summative assessment. Faculty observed engagement, effective peer teaching, and increased confidence in approaching complex emergency medicine cases. Students reported that the activity reinforced key concepts encountered during clinical rotations while highlighting individual learning needs for continued development. Conclusion: This interactive educational strategy demonstrates how game-based, collaborative learning can support learner growth through formative assessment, immediate feedback, and reflection. By standardizing exposure to high-acuity clinical scenarios while fostering teamwork and clinical reasoning, the EM Escape Room provides a replicable model for advancing learner success across health professions education.