MOBILE HEALTH PROVIDES RESPIRATOR FIT TESTING TO CLEAR CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY NURSING STUDENTS FOR CLINICAL STUDIES

In preparation for clinical rotations, Concordia University, St. Paul. sought an occupational health partner to provide respirator fit testing for their nursing students. Fit testing was previously provided in-house by the hospital each student was placed at, but this became overwhelming for hospital staff. Concordia St. Paul had to start a new program from scratch. With 3 clinics right by campus, a self-scheduling portal for their students, and 38 years of experience, Mobile Health was the clear choice.

‘Working with Mobile Health ended up being a much better process than what we had before.’ said Lisa Kuffel, MSN, RN, Clinical Coordinator at Concordia University, St. Paul. ‘Students were able to go at the time they wanted at clinics right by campus. They scheduled themselves and the results came straight to us.’

For Concordia University, respirator fit testing isn’t just a requirement by OSHA, but it’s about protecting their students. These medical students are entering COVID units and intensive care units where they need protection from airborne disease. Respirator fit testing ensures the students’ respirator has the right fit and seal to do its job. Mobile Health gave Concordia University, St. Paul the peace of mind they needed to send their students out for hands-on learning.

QUICKLY OFF THE GROUND

Scheduling individual appointments and not knowing a student’s schedule can put nursing programs under serious time constraints. For Concordia University, St. Paul, patient portal was a no-brainer. The students are sent instructions with a link custom to Concordia’s program. Appointments could be scheduled the next day or whenever they need it, getting everything done for Concordia staff without a lengthy back and forth.

‘My account manager Aleksandra made it easy to get everything started.’ said Kuffel. ‘She walked through the client portal with me and even showed me how to pull a report for every student fit testing record in a few clicks. I can track all the appointments students have scheduled and the status of each test. So, there’s no fishing for information, it’s all there, it’s all HIPAA-compliant, and we’re always ready for an audit.’

NATIONWIDE COVERAGE AT A MOMENTS NOTICE

Beyond Mobile Health’s three clinics near Concordia University, St. Paul, the company has 6,500+ respirator fit testing locations across the U.S. This is a huge resource for nursing programs when students are coming from all over the country for their studies.

‘We had one student that hadn’t been able to move to campus yet and it was going to be a real tight fit for this student to make the appointment in St. Paul,’ said Kuffel. ‘Mobile Health ended up having two locations in this student’s hometown in Portland. We got those results at the same time as our other students. Having that kind of access to clinics was super helpful for our program.’

A PERFECT FIT

When Concordia needed to start their own respirator fit testing program, they didn’t expect it to be as simple as partnering with Mobile Health. ‘What you guys provide perfectly fit our need,’ said Kuffel. Concordia University has plans to continue their respirator fit testing partnership with Mobile Health for future semesters.

  • Samantha Hough
    Written by:
    Samantha Hough