URI OSI Healthcare Leadership Program: How “Friday Night at the ER” Builds Leaders Who Thrive Under Pressure

ByCaley Logsdon

It’s Friday night in the emergency department. A trauma patient arrives. Your team is short-staffed. A family member is demanding answers you don’t have yet. What do you do?

This is “Friday Night at the ER”—the signature simulation at the heart of the University of Rhode Island Office of Strategic Initiatives’ Healthcare Leadership Program that drops participants into the high-pressure realities healthcare leaders face every day.

When URI OSI partnered with Transcend Learning Consultants to develop the next generation of healthcare leaders, they didn’t want forgettable leadership theory. They needed a program that prepared participants for real-world leadership dilemmas where every decision matters and there are no perfect answers.

The result? A 10-week cohort-based program combining experiential simulations, leadership labs, and role-playing exercises that build genuine confidence and capability. Through immersive learning experiences like “Friday Night at the ER,” 28 healthcare professionals at a time develop the skills to navigate organizational culture, foster inclusive teams, make high-pressure decisions, and drive strategic change—emerging with practical tools to create measurable impact within their organizations.

URI Healthcare Leadership Program Participant
"Every organization should play this game! Especially those in the C-suite. Through this experience, I learned to think outside of the box and that collaborating with others leads to better productivity."
URI Healthcare Leadership Program Participant
"Loved it! I learned how to decrease department silos and collaborate on one unifying goal"
URI Healthcare Leadership Program Participant
"Great game! I learned how to communicate and engage all departments within an organization."