EMS students work with nursing students via training stations
The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Nursing programs at Inver Hills Community College joined forces Tuesday, November 7, 2017, for Management of Care Day. The event brought working paramedics and EMS students together with nursing students to enact six EMS stations that would help semester 5 nursing students pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
“Nursing students are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam after graduating from semester 5 within the MANE Nursing program,” said Jackie Athmann, MSN, RN, nursing faculty and semester 5 coordinator. Jackie combined the existing NCLEX Test Plan with emergency care test plan items with the idea to make the plans come alive through a collaboration with EMS.
“We call this approach active teaching strategies,” Jackie added. “David Ussatis, EMS faculty at Inver Hills, developed stations to address the NCLEX Test Plan items.”
David Ussatis reported that Jackie initiated the project, approaching the EMS department around three years ago.
“Jackie asked if we could do some kind of collaboration whereby we could build a better working relationship between departments while helping out with meeting some of their upcoming testing objectives—with a focus on emergency care,” David said. “Over time, we developed the current model with six stations addressing various topics.”
David noted that one of the underlying philosophies of Management of Care Day is emphasizing a hands-on approach to learning.
“What we’re working towards is that of being willing to actually physically engage, versus knowing academically what to do,” he said.
Management of Care Day EMS Stations
Station 1 – Ambulance Ride-a-Long
This station, in my opinion, is all about us. In an effort to show what paramedicine is about, we take them for a literal ride. The “call” that they run is a relatively complex breathing problem, and as we work under standing orders, they get to do a lot in a short time.
Station 2 – Telephone Game
In this station, the students are split into three teams, separated, and are responsible for making radio calls from one group to the next, to the next. It simulates a call from an ambulance to MRCC to the hospital. On reconvening, they discussed how the information had changed.
Station 3 – Day at the Mall
Here the group stumbles upon a public cardiac arrest. Someone must take charge, direct the resuscitation effort, call for help and the team gets to work. They are met with an EMS response.
Station 4 – Airway Management
Students use an advanced airway manakin to practice basic airway management including using airways, suctioning, ventilating and leadership.
Station 5 – Cardiac Rhythms
Students practice interpreting cardiac rhythms using I Pads.
Station 6 – ALS Code
An ALS crew delivers a patient to the simulated ER and they code. It becomes a team effort to bring them back. Various procedures, medications and ACLS information is covered.
For more event photos, visit:
Management of Care Day 2017 on Flickr.
To learn more about the Nursing program and MANE at Inver Hills, contact:
Diane Elifrits, MS, RN
Interim Director of Nursing
651-450-3470
To learn more about the EMS program at Inver Hills, contact:
Jeff Morgan
Director of Emergency Services
651-450-3397
