STUDENTS VIEW PATIENT CARE FROM A
First Responder’s Trenton Fire Department ‘Ride-Alongs’ Provide Valuable Experience to Aspiring RNs When Thomas Edison State University’s Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program students scramble into the passenger compartment of Trenton Fire Department’s Ladder 4 fire engine with its sirens blaring, there’s no predicting what will happen next. And that is the primary objective of W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing’s recently launched Ride-Along program. “Students in the program gain unique, valuable, firsthand experience in emergency prehospital patient assessment and care,” says Dr. Filomela Marshall, dean of the School. “The synergies that will develop with fire fighters and emergency medical personnel on the front line is something they’ll take with them to multiple healthcare environments throughout their careers.” Launched in 2019, the School’s RideAlong program with the city expands on the nursing program’s condensed 12-month sequence of classroom-based courses, patient simulation lab exposure, online study and onground clinical experiences in area hospitals, visiting
8
