At the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center’s Maternal Child Health (MCH) unit, the goal was to enhance teamwork and coordination during critical incidents in a way that was both fun and engaging. The team also wanted an opportunity to get to know one another better throughout the experience. Invitations were extended to all four MCH departments — Labor and Delivery, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Mom/Baby, and Pediatrics — with a focus on including a diverse group of participants such as doctors, nurses, midwives, respiratory therapists, and management. 

Thirty people attended the event, which involved dividing into five groups and working together for one hour to solve multiple clues and escape their rooms. Following the challenge, everyone gathered for dinner to socialize and deepen connections beyond the workplace. 

In the end, the escape room adventure did much more than just let the team have fun. By working together to solve puzzles and break out of the locked rooms, the doctors and nurses learned to truly listen to each other and trust one another’s ideas. They turned into a “super-team” that knows how to communicate fast and help each other out without hesitation. Now, when they go back to the hospital, they can use those same teamwork skills to take even better care of the moms and babies, making sure everyone stays safe and healthy.  

We surveyed the group before and after the event. One hundred percent of the group said that our unit needed these off site events to get to know each other better and  thought that our event was beneficial to a more cohesive work environment. Many people said they enjoyed getting to know others from other departments and mingling with their friends.