Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115542

Kaye Bender, RN, PhD, FAAN, University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Nursing, Professor and Dean, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, 601-984-6220, kbender@umsmed.edu

Since September 2001, much emphasis has been placed on workforce development related to emergency preparedness. In nursing, education has been primarily focused on continuing education sessions or skills development. Little attention has been paid to the development of a nursing-specific curriculum related to this emerging body of knowledge. This project was developed based on needs identified in a rural state with 22 schools of nursing (14 community college based programs and 8 baccalaureate and higher degree programs). The state does not have a school of public health. A multi-tiered approach to curriculum development was developed through a collaborative effort between the community colleges and the institutions of higher learning. Competencies for each of the levels of nursing were identified, with corresponding curriculum components. The competencies emerged from the QUAD Council PHN Competencies and the CDC Emergency Preparedness Competencies. The educational framework for the curriculum is an ecological model as described in the Institute of Medicine report on The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century. This paper describes the needs assessment process, the elements of collaboration in the curriculum development, the multi-tiered approach to education in emergency preparedness; and plans for curriculum evaluation and faculty development. Other key partners in the process include the state health department, the state emergency management agency, state education accrediting agencies, and local hospitals and county health departments. Target students are public health nurses, nurses enrolled in all levels of nursing education programs, emergency room nurses, and volunteer nurses engaged in disaster response.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the partipant will be able to

• Identify the nursing competencies associated with population-focused disaster nursing
• Describe elements of a curriculum for population-focused disaster nursing at the associate degree, baccalaureate degree, and graduate nursing levels
• Describe elements of successful collaboration between community colleges and institutions of higher learning in complementary curriculum development for nursing education

Keywords: Nursing Education, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.