Rutgers University–Camden Pilots Innovative Training Method to Save More Lives with CPR

The Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden was recognized as a “change agent in resuscitation education” at the National League for Nursing (NLN) 2022 Education Summit. Rutgers–Camden was honored as an early adopter of the cutting-edge Resuscitation Quality Improvement® (RQI) CPR training method. The School of Nursing–Camden was the only nursing school in New Jersey—and one of just 12 in the country—to participate in the pilot program.

 Marie O’Toole, interim dean of the School of Nursing–Camden, said the successful adoption of the RQI system demonstrates the school’s commitment to excellence in nursing education and positions nursing students to deliver safe, effective patient care.

Marie O'Toole

Marie T. O'Toole, EdD, RN, FAAN, Interim Dean and Professor

Marie T. O'Toole, EdD, RN, FAAN, Interim Dean and Professor

“CPR is a life-saving skill that requires practice to maintain competence and confidence. The RQI system allowed our students to practice independently and as frequently as needed to ensure competency,” O’Toole said. “The opportunity to participate in a pilot program that provides evidence that students can achieve CPR competency is an important step forward in simulation. Rutgers–Camden has always been committed to preparing students to respond to emergencies wherever they may occur.” 

Rutgers–Camden is paving the way to a higher standard of resuscitation care for cardiac arrest, leading to better patient outcomes. According to the NLN, patients receive poor-quality CPR more than 50% of the time, resulting in a 26% cardiac-arrest survival rate despite the best efforts of health care professionals. RQI’s digital approach helps students master high-quality CPR skills through short, quarterly practice and review sessions. Students apply CPR compression and ventilation techniques on simulated patients that breathe, have a pulse, register students’ actions, and respond accordingly. 

CPR

Students Alyssa Berry and Julia Boberick practice various CPR techniques.

CPR

Students Alyssa Berry and Julia Boberick practice various CPR techniques.

Students Alyssa Berry and Julia Boberick practice various CPR techniques.

Students Alyssa Berry and Julia Boberick practice various CPR techniques.

Donna Nickitas

Donna Nickitas, Rutgers–Camden Interim Provost

Donna Nickitas, Rutgers–Camden Interim Provost

Donna Nickitas, interim provost at Rutgers–Camden and former dean of the School of Nursing, said this program empowers future nurses to attend to emergencies—both in and out of the hospital—in a swift, skilled, and practiced manner.

“CPR is such a vital competency that needs to be practiced on an ongoing basis. You lose it if you don’t use it,” Nickitas said. “By maintaining competency through practice, each participant gains confidence and muscle memory over time, becoming more proficient.”

Eventually, Nickitas hopes to offer the training program to the larger Rutgers–Camden community and the greater public.

“Our plan is to expand the RQI initiative to all our undergraduate students, our graduate students, and eventually to our community residents and partners as part of our Center for Excellence in Interprofessional Practice, Education & Innovation,” Nickitas said. “This opportunity will transform and inform our research and evidence-based practice and—most importantly—help save lives in Camden and beyond.”

Creative Design: Karaamat Abdullah
Photographer: Ron Downes, Jr.