An Academic–Fire Department Partnership to Address Social Determinants of Health

BACKGROUND: As the link between social factors and health outcomes has been increasingly identified in nursing research, educators are called to provide clinical experiences that allow undergraduate nursing students to grapple with social complexity and barriers in the health care system. Future nurses need community-based experiences to develop care coordination and community partnering skills to lead in this area of health care transformation. METHOD: An innovative interdisciplinary partnership between a school of nursing and a city fire department was developed to provide students with opportunities to partner with clients to address social determinants of health, while limiting emergency medical services use for nonurgent problems. RESULTS: The program has multiple benefits to nursing students, faculty, clients, agencies, and community partners. Contextual factors leading to this educational partnership, partner benefits, and challenges are discussed. CONCLUSION: Innovative interdisciplinary partnerships are an effective education tool to provide nursing students with a broader view of health care through the lens of social determinants of health. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(1):34-37.].