Digital Brochure: Friday Night at the ER®

Teach Systems Thinking, Leadership & Collaboration

“While I teach teamwork and collaboration, and I value it, when I got into this simulation I dropped back to being individualized...Knowing and doing are two different things. This game allows you to take the knowing and apply it in the doing and then reflect about it in the debriefing.”

(See more testimonials on page 19)

Carol F. Durham EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN Professor & Director

Education-Innovation-Simulation Learning Environment (EISLE)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Overview

The experience challenges teams of four to manage a hospital during a simulated 24-hour period. What they learn will surprise them!

To improve their organization’s performance, teams must break out of their silos and apply three core system optimization strategies: collaboration, innovation and data-driven decision making.

The hospital scenario is fun, familiar and engaging. It’s a metaphor designed to resemble any organization where the parts must work together to achieve system goals.

The Game: Moving from Silo Thinking

Friday Night at the ER® challenges teams of four to period that takes just one actual hour.

Teams of four

The team’s goals are clear: to deliver high quality service at a low cost within the allocated time. But just like in any organization, the scenario is complex and how to succeed isn’t so obvious at first.

The game is

They face spikes in demand, limited unexpected events, decision accountability. The pressures and operate in silos, focusing

Thinking to Systems Thinking

manage a busy hospital during a simulated 24-hour hour. Group size can range from 4 to 200+.

limited resources, time pressure, decision choices and performance and dynamics cause people to focusing on just their own part.

In the simulation environment, people are students of their own behaviors. They can see the big picture, naturally broadening their perspectives to learn what it takes to be successful as an interdependent system.

The Debrief

After the game play, scores are calculated and participants engage in a thoughtfully-designed debrief that includes team reflection, guided group discussion, didactic presentation, and an exercise that helps people turn the lessons into action.

Altogether, the learning program is typically a half day (3-4 hours):

- Intro & instructions (30 mins)

- Game play (1 hour)

- Debrief (2 hours)

Outcomes / Focus Areas

Systems Thinking

Experience the role of the individual as part of a system of care. Realize improved results when moving from silo thinking to systems thinking. Learn to apply core principles of systems thinking.

Leadership Capacity

Develop leadership skills by managing a unit while serving broader system goals. Practice distributed leadership where multiple leaders must collaborate to improve quality and manage cost.

Mental Models & Assumptions

Realize how powerfully mental models and assumptions can influence one’s behavior and, ultimately, system performance. Learn to surface deeply entrenched mental models and develop an openness to change.

Teamwork & Communication

Learn to share responsibility across boundaries and coordinate action throughout a system. Communicate effectively with others to come into alignment as a team.

Critical Thinking & Decisions

Use critical thinking skills in the face of uncertainty about the best course of action to achieve desired results. Learn to use data, not just instinct, to make decisions in a world of complexity.

Structural Redesign

See how “structure drives behavior” in an organization. Identify high-leverage opportunities to redesign structure to improve outcomes.

Example Uses and Settings

Essential skill building

Leadership & capstone coursework

Interprofessional education

Orientations

Residency education

Faculty & administration development

Quality & safety training

Operations management education

Clinical leadership development

Process improvement initiatives

Culture change

Hospital Board education

“While I teach teamwork and collaboration, and I value it, when I got into this simulation I dropped back to being individualized...Knowing and doing are two different things. This game allows you to take the knowing and apply it in the doing and then reflect about it in the debriefing.”

Carol F. Durham EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN Professor & Director, EISLE Education-Innovation-Simulation Learning Environment University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“It’s a very approachable game. It’s something that students can appreciate, they can sink their teeth into, they can get engaged with. So the message comes through without real effort. The game is suffused with message. It kind of sneaks up on you. A lot of students get this Aha! moment and it’s those moments that really stick with you.”

Dave C. Aron, MD, MS Professor of Medicine and Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University

“I’ve used Friday Night at the ER many times now. One of the things I like about the game is how easy it is to modify the debrief to map to different content modules. The setup is nice and it flows well. It intuitively begins to make sense once you start to play. It’s very well designed that way.”

Kyler Godwin Ph.D., M.P.H. Director, VA Quality Scholars Baylor University

William J. Ward, Jr., MBA Associate Professor of Management Johns Hopkins University

Research

A Serious Game Employed to Introduce Principles of Interprofessional Collaboration to Students of Multiple Health Professions

Applied systems thinking: The impact of system optimization strategies on financial and quality performance in a team-based simulation

Nicholas M. Fusco, LIsa Jane Jacobsen and Patricia J. Ohtake Phil Cady

Simulation & Gaming • April 2022

Educators from the University at Buffalo use of Friday Night at the ER to explore how serious games can be used to teach interprofessional teamwork and communication to early learners in a variety of health professions. Nearly 90 percent of students found it to be highly effective.

Healthcare Management Forum • January 2021

Researcher used the game with senior executives from 16 countries to find that those who applied core systems thinking strategies demonstrated substantial improvements in financial and quality performance of the system. The implications for practice are clear and actionable, he writes.

View all articles on our website

A Multisite Study Demonstrates Positive Impacts to Systems Thinking Using a Table-top Simulation Experience

Nurse Educator • April 2020

Researchers analyzed pre- and post-game data from health care students in six different disciplines at five universities to find that those who play Friday Night at the ER demonstrate improved systems thinking skills.

Enhancing Systems Thinking

for

Undergraduate Nursing Students Using Friday Night at the ER

Journal of Nursing Education • November 2018

Researchers offer a thorough explanation of how systems thinking is foundational to QSEN competencies, how Friday Night at the ER teaches it and how the game produced measurable improvements in systems thinking skills using the Systems Thinking Scale.

Jill S Sanko, Karina Gattamorta, Judith Young, Carol F Durham, Gwen Sherwood, Mary Dolansky

Cynthia Thornton Bacon, Peggy Trent, Thomas P McCoy

Used by 3,000+ organizations around the world

Blue Cross Blue Shield Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Children’s National Medical Center

Stanford University

Canada School of Public Service

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention City of Minneapolis FEMA

State of Michigan Office of Performance Excellence

University of Miami

US Department of Defense

University of North Carolina

US Department of Veterans Affairs

University of Rochester

US Postal Service

University of Toronto

Wisconsin Public Service

What’s in a game kit?

The materials

All game parts for your group size; premium quality materials designed for repeated use

Durable nylon carry bag for easy storage and transport

Downloadable presentation slides, worksheets and handouts

Step-by-step Guide for Facilitators (60 pages, spiral bound)

Modular packing system designed for accommodating various group sizes

Warranty and support

Return your unused kit for free within 30 days if you aren’t 100% satisfied

Five-year warranty covers your game parts and carry bag

Access online help articles and a community forum in our support center

Get one hour of free consultation with a content expert

Scan to preview our facilitator’s guide

1 Fill the jars

1 game in 4 jars

2 Load the tubes

3 games in each tube

3 Roll the boards

3 game boards around each tube

4 Pack the bag

2 tubes in each bag

Everything you need for unlimited use at a one-time price

*The academic price is offered to colleges and universities whose primary activity is educating enrolled students.

Online facilitator certification (recommended)

Facilitator certification is not required but we recommend it. We have an excellent online course that provides a very practical, structured approach for facilitators to learn how to be successful with our program.

The course is $475 per trainee ($250 with academic discount). It’s entirely on demand and includes videos, readings, practice exercises, self assessments, and check-ins with an assigned course mentor (earn 9.0 continuing education credits).

Learn more and register at training.fridaynightattheer.com

Want to see a demonstration of the game and talk with an expert about the fit? We offer a private, 1-hour web demo for free. Send a request to hello@fridaynightattheer.com and we’ll schedule your demo right away.

hello@fridaynightattheer.com

We advance team performance with innovative learning tools that transform the way people think and work together. Grounded in systems thinking, cognitive science and organization development, our products build critical skills and capacities that create high-performance teams.