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Abstract #153557

Deborah Poling Scott, MPH, Sage Associates, Inc., 4407 Rose Street, Houston, TX 77007, 281 773 9677, dsscott@sageways.com and Charlotte Gish, RN, MSN Womens Health Coordinator, Office on Women's Health, 1301 Young Street, Suite 1124, Dallas, TX 75202.

As a result of the disaster response to hurricanes in the fall of 2005, the American Red Cross of Dallas (ARC) recognized a need for a greater pool of disaster trained volunteer nurses than currently existed. The question at hand, “Why weren't more nurses volunteering?” American Red Cross staff collaborated with the Office on Women's Health, Region VI to develop a needs assessment tool to identify influencers and barriers for nurses wishing to become American Red Cross disaster volunteers. In October 2006, a focus group of nursing administrators from schools and hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area met to discuss the issues influencing nurses and nursing students. From this dialog, a set of issue-defining questions emerged. These questions were used to create an internet survey that was circulated within nursing schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex during December 2006 and January 2007. During the timeframe, a total of 103 internet surveys were received. The majority of respondents were nursing students with no experience or training in disaster volunteer services. Their responses identified sources of training information, willingness to volunteer as an American Red Cross nurse, factors influencing their decision to volunteer, and recommendations for increasing the number of disaster nurse volunteers.

Learning Objectives:

• Document steps to conducting the disaster volunteer needs assessment
• Develop a disaster nursing needs assessment tool
• Understand influencers and barriers to disaster nurse volunteer services
• Develop strategies to attract volunteers to disaster nursing services

Keywords: Disasters, Emergency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.