Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Document Type

Major Paper

School

School of Nursing

Department

Nursing

Date of Original Version

5-2018

Abstract

American life, as we know it, is changing. Disasters are increasing in frequency. Over the past decade, more than two million people has lost their lives. Nationally, nurses are not familiar with concepts of disaster nursing and emergency management. Literature demonstrates that nurses lack the knowledge, skills, and ability to respond adequately in a disaster. This quality improvement project evaluated the effectiveness of an evidence based disaster awareness program specifically designed for nurses who work in the emergency department. This quality improvement project used David Kolb’s Experiential Learning and the Kellogg Foundation’s Logic as an organizational framework. With a global goal, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proposed a framework for disaster nursing competencies for education of “general” nurses, now considered the “gold standard” of disaster nursing competencies. The program focused on the ICN core competencies of disaster nursing. The educational intervention consisted of a variety of educational opportunities, including a self-study packet, an interactive poster, and group discussions. A Retrospective Preevaluation-Postevaluation (RPPE) survey demonstrated that the program was effective in improving nurses’ overall disaster awareness. Recommendations for advanced practice nurses revolve around designing and implementing disaster preparedness education that is geared toward nurses.

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