Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness

Catalog description

This course explores the emergency response and management in different disasters, including environmental, mass casualty, public health emergencies, terrorism, and bioterrorism with emphasis on the interdisciplinary role of nursing. The discussion on disaster planning and management will be organized around the four phases of disaster, (1) mitigation, (2) preparedness, (3) response, and (4) recovery. The course will also address leadership, management and policy issues in disaster nursing to deepen understanding of the importance of protecting all aspects of health throughout the disaster life cycle. Students will also discuss the historical perspective of disaster management and learn to prepare for future disasters, their risks and impact on the communities with particular emphasis on the organization, management and mobilization of resources. The student will discuss the humanitarian aspects of emergencies and disasters, in particular, the preparedness response and recovery to lessen the socio-economic, psychological and health impact. The role of information technology as well as legal, ethical, and psychosocial implications of disasters and emergencies will be addressed. Partnering with local officials, a case study scenario of a disaster management in the community will be used to teach the care of the vulnerable populations for safe evacuation and mitigation of harm.