Pumpkins, Patients and Practice Offer a Creative Approach to Nursing Education

Innovative assignment combines clinical knowledge, critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork to prepare future Family Nurse Practitioners.

BALTIMORE — Pumpkins became patients at Coppin State University as graduate nursing students put their clinical knowledge and creativity to the test through a hands-on assignment designed to strengthen their patient assessment and diagnostic skills.

Now in its second year, the Pumpkin SOAP Note Assignment challenges students in Coppin State's Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN FNP) program to transform pumpkins into representations of patients and medical conditions.

Led by Dr. Rashaan Ballard and Dr. Rona Corral, instructors of the Advanced Health Assessment course, the assignment encourages students to apply classroom knowledge to clinical scenarios while developing critical thinking, teamwork and patient care planning skills.

Working in groups, students select a medical diagnosis and create a pumpkin representing a patient or disease process. Each group then presents its case using the SOAP note format — Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan — to demonstrate its ability to evaluate health conditions, develop treatment plans and communicate patient care recommendations.

Graduate nursing faculty serve as guest judges, evaluating presentations based on clinical accuracy, completeness, collaboration, and creativity.

This year's top honors went to:

For Tammie Ayers, an MSN FNP student in the Class of 2028, the experience demonstrated how creative learning can make complex clinical concepts memorable.

“Thank you for encouraging us to step outside our comfort zones, embrace creativity, and enjoy the journey of becoming Family Nurse Practitioners,” Ayers shared. “Your class is a wonderful reminder that when learning is enjoyable, the lessons become unforgettable!”

The Class of 2028 showcased its projects on October 22, 2026, with university faculty and leadership, including Provost Chanta M. Haywood, Ph.D. The assignment builds on the creativity of the Class of 2027, whose projects represented conditions including liver failure, heart failure and an ear infection.

Students' creations were also scheduled for display during the College of Health Professions' inaugural Pumpkin Decorating/Carving Contest on October 29 at the Henrietta Lacks Health and Human Services Building.

Through this innovative approach to experiential learning, Coppin State's Graduate Nursing Department continues to prepare future Family Nurse Practitioners with the clinical knowledge, confidence and collaborative skills needed to deliver quality patient care.