Improving Interprofessional Competence and Knowledge in Nursing and Emergency Medical Services

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Emergency Medical Services
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Healthcare complexity requires nurses skilled in acute and emergent care.
• A nursing program partnered with a rural fire department (RFD) in 2022 to enhance student training.
• This initiative addressed the need for diverse clinical experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary partnership between a nursing program and a rural fire department.
• To assess the impact of the clinical rotation on nursing students' pre-hospital acute care knowledge and interprofessional competence.

Main Methods:

• Implemented clinical rotations involving emergency medical personnel ride-alongs.
• Students conducted trauma and medical client assessments and provided care.
• Analyzed aggregated student course and site evaluation data, including thematic analysis of open responses.

Main Results:

• The fire department clinical site received consistently high ratings across semesters.
• Increased demand led to additional clinical hours allocated to the RFD.
• Clinical evaluation data and thematic analysis confirmed strong educational value.

Conclusions:

• The partnership successfully enhanced students' pre-hospital acute care knowledge.
• The collaboration improved nursing students' interprofessional competence.
• This educational case study highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary partnerships in nursing education.