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Factors that Influence Medical Reserve Corps Recruitment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2017

Kristine Qureshi ,
Robyn M. Gershon  and
Francisco Conde
Kristine Qureshi*
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Robyn M. Gershon
Affiliation:
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
Francisco Conde
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
*
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Webster Hall, Room 444, 2528 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822USA E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a key strategy used in the United States to assure an adequate surge capacity healthcare workforce for response to disasters. A survey of Hawaiian healthcare providers (n = 1,057) was conducted to identify factors that influence interest, ability, and willingness to join the MRC; 468 (44.3%) healthcare providers responded. Overall, females were more likely to demonstrate an interest in joining the MRC, while physicians and dentists reported lower levels of ability and willingness, in addition to a lower level of interest in joining the MRC than the other professional groups. The most important motivating factor in joining the MRC was altruism and the ability to help one's own community. Respondents reported a number of factors that would influence their decision to join or remain a MRC member. These included: (1) time commitment required; (2) MRC organization and management; (3) provision of MRC-sponsored training or education sessions and continuing education credits; (4) concerns regarding the safety of family members during a disaster; (5) professional liability protection for work performed during MRC operations; and (6) competing personal obligations. Strategies targeting these factors probably will be most effective in recruitment and retention of MRC volunteers as well as members of other public health surge capacity volunteer groups.

Keywords

disasterdisaster volunteerMedical Reserve Corpsemergency volunteerdisaster preparednesssurge capacity
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 23 , supplement S1: Nursing Issues in Disaster Health , June 2008 , pp. s27 - s34
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2008

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