205102 Innovations in nursing education through a practice and education partnership

Monday, November 9, 2009

Melody Coffey-Love, RN, PhD(c), CNS , Department of Nursing, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Ann Kim, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS , Department of Nursing, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Jean Plew, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS , Department of Nursing, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Maureen Habel, RN, MA , American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Background: During a disaster, the need for nurse volunteers intensifies because of the increased need to serve vulnerable populations affected by the event. RNs desiring to respond to disasters may not be prepared and subsequently unable to act. Agency volunteer trainers are often those being deployed. This results in lost time and resources for response agencies. Nursing students enrolled in public health/community health courses also lack basic disaster preparedness skills. Regulations require nursing programs to include disaster preparedness in curriculum.

Description: A partnership was developed between the University and the local American Red Cross (ARC) that includes: revision of the public health course using the ARC disaster course content and faculty becoming certified as ARC disaster trainers to become in-time trainers for the ARC. Appraisal of student knowledge and process evaluation will be used to evaluate this program.

Outcomes: Outcomes include: meeting the needs of students; aligning the curriculum with regulatory guidelines; increased numbers of qualified disaster instructors and disaster ready nurses; enhanced relationships; community service opportunities; increased enrollment and revenue for the University; and enhancement of the University's disaster response team. Lessons Learned: combining resources facilitates the ability of both organizations to increase capacity; relationships between individuals can be the catalyst for enhanced relationships between agencies; and needs are met through collaboration.

Evaluation: Full evaluation will begin December 2009. Process monitoring is ongoing.

Recommendations: The ARC is the premier disaster response organization deploying competent qualified nurses to meet the health and quality of life needs of communities. Nurse volunteers are the cornerstone of this response. When partnerships are developed, we can meet community challenges while simultaneously meeting the educational needs of students.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, learners will be able to describe a process for meeting community needs and student learning needs in terms of disaster training and response.

Keywords: Partnerships, Public Health Nursing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the faculty involved in the curriculum development and partnership for this project/course.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Innovative Academic-Practice Partnerships
See more of: Public Health Nursing