Washington State University's medical team at Cougar Health Services is stepping up their game with a little help from the American Heart Association and WSU's own College of Medicine. The two entities have joined forces to up the ante on CPR training, expanding access to a state-of-the-art program that promises to keep lifesaving skills sharp and ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.
The move equips Cougar Health employees with the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Quality Improvement program® (RQI)®, delivered via the College of Medicine's Virtual Clinical Center license. This setup ensures that those working at Cougar Health’s three Pullman campus clinics—who collectively see over 7,000 students annually—can stay on top of their CPR game through frequent, realistic practice sessions. However, where traditional CPR training usually occurs biennially, the RQI approach calls for quarterly refreshers in order to combat the natural skill decay that occurs within just three to six months post-training.
As reported by WSU News "If you don’t work in a clinical setting where you use chest compressions regularly, those skills get rusty," said Dr. Sunday Henry, the director of medical services and interim executive director of Cougar Health Services. She went on to explain the importance of practicing these skills "in a real-world scenario as often as we need to and whenever fits our schedules."
RQI's technology-based training encompasses online modules that utilize manikins and resuscitation equipment at a mobile simulation station. The learning management system carefully tracks performance, giving users ample feedback to perfect their technique. Whitney Meidl, executive director at the American Heart Association, Washington, emphasized the broad potential impact, "Expanding access to the RQI program will help ensure current and future health care leaders are ready to provide lifesaving intervention if faced with a cardiac emergency in or outside of the hospital," Meidl said, underscoring the significance of empowering WSU's community with innovative training tools.
WSU's proactive stance on CPR training isn't new—the College of Medicine adopted the RQI program back in 2019, making it a pioneer in incorporating simulation-based training into its medical curriculum. To date, they've imparted RQI wisdom to more than 700 individuals, ranging from medical students to resident physicians and others in health profession programs. Chris Martin, the assistant dean for simulation-based education at the college, shone a light on the ultimate goal: "We want to ensure our students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and competencies to perform at the highest level during cardiac arrest occurrences," as per WSU News.
Over at Cougar Health's medical clinic, a rapid response team stays primed for emergencies, standing by with dedicated radios despite having never grappled with a cardiac emergency. Joseph Shuey, the Nurse Manager at Cougar Health, led the charge in integrating RQI training for the staff. Now, over two dozen healthcare providers and clinic staff will keep their CPR skills from gathering any dust, ensuring they are poised to save lives, whether they're on the clock at the campus clinics or off duty in the broader community.
