Johns Hopkins is a private university founded in 1876 in Baltimore, Maryland. Their mission is to provide lifelong learning, research, and knowledge for the world. As the first research university in the United States, they continue to set the standard for medical education and innovation.
Client
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins: Immersive Medical Training Scenarios
Providing Scenario Simulations for Clinicians in an eLearning Environment
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) give healthcare providers a legal mechanism to petition for firearm removal from patients who present a danger to themselves or others — a powerful tool in addressing gun violence. But many clinicians lacked the practical training to identify when an ERPO was appropriate, how to initiate the conversation with a patient or family, and how to navigate the legal and ethical complexities of the process.
In-person simulation training — the gold standard for developing clinical communication skills — became impossible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johns Hopkins needed a way to give clinicians realistic counseling practice through an online medium, without sacrificing the scenario complexity and emotional realism that makes simulation effective.
Our Solution
Ninja Tropic created a library of animated scenario simulations depicting realistic clinical encounters — a patient in crisis, a family member in denial, a colleague seeking guidance. Each scenario was developed with Johns Hopkins’ clinical team to ensure accurate representation of ERPO conversations, including the legal nuances and the emotional dynamics that clinicians encounter in real practice.
The animations depicted both clinician and patient with enough specificity to feel realistic without losing the universality needed for broad clinical audiences. Clinicians could watch multiple response paths — seeing how different approaches played out — building both knowledge and communication intuition through repeated exposure to varied scenarios.
On-Demand Microlearning for Busy Healthcare Professionals
- Pandemic-Proof Training Delivery: By translating simulation training into animated format, Johns Hopkins maintained clinical development continuity during a period when in-person training was entirely unavailable.
- Broader Reach: The on-demand format allowed the ERPO training to reach clinicians at affiliated hospitals and partner institutions beyond the Johns Hopkins campus, multiplying the program’s public health impact.
- Communication Skill Development: Clinicians who completed the training reported greater confidence in initiating ERPO conversations, particularly in navigating family resistance and patient ambivalence — the scenarios most likely to prevent successful intervention.
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