Seeking Registered Nurses to participate in a study of lived experiences on the frontline of caring for patients with COVID-19
Tag Archives: Disaster Preparedness
Disaster Preparedness Survey – Please consider completing
Thank you for agreeing to post our request to participate in our research titled,
“Assessing nurses’ and APNs’ Competence, Confidence, and Willingness to Respond to Public Health Emergencies After Learning Management System (LMS) Delivered Intervention: A Quantitative Study.”
We have provided 8 learning modules that explain the ICN’s Core Competencies in Disaster Nursing, Version 2.0. There is no cost to participants.
It is important that all participants follow the prompts to create an account in the Learning Management System as a first step.
To access the Learning Modules, click on: https://nsbprepared.lmscheckout.com/
Sincerely,
Joanne C. Langan, PhD, RN, CNE Professor, Saint Louis University, Valentine School of Nursing
Karen S. Moore, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-C, FAANP, FAAN Associate Professor, Saint Louis University, Valentine School of Nursing
The NHDP-BC exam, a certification for disaster professionals
By Bonnie McIntosh, BSN, RN, CEN, NHDP-BC
The ANCC just made available a new certification for disaster professionals. It is called National Healthcare Disaster Professional by Certification or NHDP-BC. The cost when I took it was $290. I noticed that the price stayed the same even though the ANCC website said the cost would go up by $100 starting in 2018.
To qualify to take the test you have to be one of ten healthcare professions with 3 years of disaster experience in the last 10 years. The other requirements include certificates from completing FEMA web-based classes (IS 100.b, 200.b, 700.a, 800.b), and participated in a MCI exercise.
Just like any other certification exam, it is at a testing center. The test has 175 questions – 150 are scored and you need 70% to pass. The ANCC does not give you a score but I called and the test is worth ‘500’ and passing is ‘350’. It is a long test time – you have up to 3.5 hours to complete it. I was able to complete the test in 2 hours and not rush.
To prepare for the test I used a web-based company called Exam Edge which was the only one I could find with practice questions. Comparing the actual test with Exam Edge, I found the ANCC test was a lot less wordy and had more questions related to HAZMAT levels, PPE levels, triage of victim scenarios, etc. For anyone liking alphabet soup, a whole lot of acronyms are used.
When you pass the exam, you will receive a certificate to frame for your office, a card to carry in your wallet, and a cool coin. I would recommend the certifications to anyone in disaster management.
Now is the Time, Personal Preparedness Can’t Wait!
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas leading to catastrophic flooding in Houston and surrounding areas. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Irma slammed into the Caribbean and Florida, causing flooding, damage, and widespread power outages. Most hospitals in the impacted areas sheltered-in-place requiring nurses and other critical staff to stay at the facilities for extended periods.
While these disasters had some advance warning, many aspects of the disaster were uncertain including the extent and location of flooding, power outages, etc. Other disasters, such as tornadoes or earthquakes, strike with little or no warning. Previous studies have found that lack of personal preparedness, concern/fear for family and pets, concern for the effect of the disaster on self and personal property, and transportation difficulties pose major barriers to disaster response. Although many agree that healthcare organizations should address the personal preparedness of their employees, little is known about the degree to which the U.S. nursing workforce is personally prepared to respond to disasters for extended periods of time.
The Society for the Advancement of Disaster Nursing believes personal preparedness of the nursing workforce is paramount. This week, SADN members will be hosting a presentation on personal preparedness at the Emergency Nurses 2017 Conference in St. Louis, MO (Details below).
Title: Now is the Time, Personal Preparedness Can’t Wait!
Date: Thursday, September 14, 2017
Presentation time 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Room: 267
We hope conference attendees will be able to join us for this session.
For nurses who are not attending this conference, we recommend you undertake the following steps to get prepared as soon as possible:
- Assemble disaster supplies kit for home, work, and car
- Create a family disaster plan. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area and have a plan in place that addresses how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Tailor this plan to any special needs your family has, including care of pets.
- Practice and update your plan regularly, just like a fire drill.
- Familiarize yourself with your organization’s emergency operations plan and know your role if a disaster strikes.
See https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1549-20490-4633/areyouready_full.pdf for more information on becoming personally prepared.
Alicia Gable, MPH