Improving Interprofessional Competence and Knowledge in Nursing and Emergency Medical Services

Health care complexity necessitates preparing nursing students to manage acute and emergent conditions across diverse settings. To address this need, an interdisciplinary partnership was established between a southeastern United States nursing program and a rural fire department (RFD) in 2022.

The clinical rotation included emergency medical personnel ride-alongs, trauma and medical client assessments, care provision, and interprofessional relationship development. Aggregated student course and site evaluation data were analyzed to assess site effectiveness and learning outcomes.

Among the positively rated sites, the fire department scored consistently high across semesters. In response to increased demand noted in evaluation comments, additional clinical hours were allocated to this location each semester. A similar rotation also was initiated with a larger fire department. Clinical evaluation data and a thematic analysis of all open responses indicated strong support for the educational value of the experience.

This educational case study, grounded in program assessment data, demonstrates that the partnership enhanced students' pre-hospital acute care knowledge and interprofessional competence.