DCH implements RN-Exempt Program

Decatur County Hospital is implementing a new cross training program to assist in the assurance of high quality, compassionate, professional health care to our patients. Several of our Registered Nurses (RNs) have taken a professional training program to be recognized by the Iowa Department of Public Health-Bureau of Emergency Medical Services as “RN-Exempts”; allowing them to operate at the Paramedic level in the pre-hospital setting with Decatur County Ambulance.

Some of the topics the RN-Exempts were required to cover included Lifting & Moving Patients, Scene Size Up, Primary Assessment, Medical/Trauma Patient Assessment-Treatments, EMS Operations, EMS History, Advanced Airway Procedures, Emergency Vehicle Operations, Hazardous Materials Operations, Multiple Casualty Incidents & Incident Management; Highway Safety & Vehicle Extrication, and EMS Response to Terrorism. The RN-Exempts are also required to complete multiple 911 call responses as well as several non-emergent transfers.

Decatur County Hospital Paramedic/RN Denise Elefson and Critical Care Paramedic Kendall Wood facilitated the training for the RN’s. Those RNs participating in the RN-Exempt training included: Katie Keeney, Aaron Keeney, Chris Byler, Jessica Sullivan, and Sandy Marcus.