Flipped classroom: A case study-based approach in the classroom

Example Case Study: You are caring for an 83-year-old male admitted for acute confusion. The patient was found in his car at a local grocery store, and he was disoriented to place, time, and situation. The patient’s labs show an elevated WBC and the UA showed many bacteria present, and the urine culture is pending at this time. The patient is currently oriented to person, place, time and situation. The patient’s family is concerned with the patient’s living situation and the ability to care for oneself.

The concept map

The class is provided with a template concept map to ensure that all the aspects of care are considered. Concept mapping is encouraged to ensure the student is learning from their studying. If the student is simply taking notes, the student may take an overabundance of notes that allows the student to simply memorize the notes. However, with concept mapping, the student is asked to condense the material into one page. This ensures the student truly understands the material. If the student does not understand the condensed form of the material, the student is forced to go back to the textbook to review and reinforce the content.

Student interaction

The students work together to assess and interview the volunteer client and form the concept map. By completing this activity, the students are developing teamwork and recognizing strengths and weaknesses for themselves and others. The ability to evaluate both strengths and weaknesses is vital in performing on a healthcare team successfully.

Clinical application

The case study approach can be used to prove and demonstrate safe clinical practice. For instance, if skin integrity and wound care are being covered in theory, the students would be provided a case study that requires demonstration of safe patient positioning, determining risk factors for frequency of repositioning and demonstration of proper body mechanics of the student. By providing the opportunity to demonstrate clinical skills in the classroom, the student has the ability to develop confidence with the skill and ask questions in a non-clinical space.