The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) provides nurses with knowledge, support, and continuing education resources to ensure optimal care for patients and families. AACN worked with Enspire to update their Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO) and create an interactive, case-driven course to orient nurses on critical care basics.

The new ECCO 3.0 consists of 77 hours of online training with scenario-based learning experiences. Nurses care for virtual patients representative of the types of complex cases they’ll encounter in the hospital, make real-time care decisions, and gain feedback through real-life consequences.

I designed nine hours of the curriculum focused on cardiovascular and hematologic disorders. The instruction was designed with a “learn-by-doing” or “try-and-learn” approach with active learning. Learners are given the opportunity to explore interactive content, make decisions about patient care, and check their knowledge. Multimedia elements, such as rich illustrations and animations, click-to-view topics, and interactive exercises, were used to accommodate different learning styles.

Responsibilities as an instructional designer for ECCO included conducting research, leading design workshops, and interfacing with clients and subject matter experts. I created wireframes, storyboards, and design documents, and scripted engaging learning experiences.

In addition to working as an instructional designer, I created many of the medical illustrations to describe anatomy, pathophysiology, and surgical procedures.