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National Assessment of Nursing Schools and Nurse Educators Readiness for Radiation Emergencies and Nuclear Events

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2019

Tener Goodwin Veenema*
Affiliation:
National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Center for Humanitarian Health, Baltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
Roberta Proffitt Lavin
Affiliation:
Executive Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor, Knoxville College of Nursing, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
Sarah Schneider-Firestone
Affiliation:
Supporting Professional Advancement in Nursing Program, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland
Mary Pat Couig
Affiliation:
Office of Nursing Services, Veterans Health Administration, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
Joanne C. Langan
Affiliation:
St Louis University School of Nursing, St Louis, Missouri
Kristine Qureshi
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Honolulu, Hawaii
Danny Scerpella
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland.
Lesley Sasnett
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Tener Goodwin Veenema, 525 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Abstract

Nurses will play a crucial role in responding to a public health emergency resulting from nuclear war or other large-scale release of radiation into the environment and in supporting the National Health Security Strategy. Schools of nursing are ultimately responsible for developing a competent nursing workforce prepared to assess a population’s public health emergency needs and respond to these low-frequency but high-impact events. This responsibility includes the provision of specific content and training regarding how to respond and care for patients and communities in the event of a nuclear or radiation emergency. To date, however, there has been a lack of empirical evidence focusing specifically on nursing schools’ capacity to prepare nurses for radiation emergencies and nuclear events, as well as perception of risk. This study employed a cross-sectional survey administered to a nationwide sample of nursing school administrators and faculty to assess content, faculty expertise, planning, and perception of risk related to radiation emergencies and nuclear events.

Type
Original Research
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

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