From hurricanes and tornadoes to mass shootings and global pandemics, disaster response nurses respond to various emergency situations that can overwhelm healthcare systems. By carrying out vital roles during crises, disaster response nurses support survivors and alleviate pressure on constrained healthcare systems. The work can also be gratifying and personally and professionally fulfilling.
In this blog post, we’ll cover the A to Z on the role of a disaster response nurse. If you’re wondering, “What does a disaster response nurse do? What are their typical duties? And what is disaster response nursing like?”, keep reading to better understand this nursing specialty and decide if it’s the right one for you.
What Is Disaster Response Nursing?
Disaster response nurses use their nursing skills to respond to victims' and survivors' physical and emotional needs during or after disasters such as mass shootings or earthquakes.
Expounding on this disaster response nurse definition, disasters can be classified into the following categories:
- Natural or environmental disasters: These include tsunamis, landslides, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, avalanches, and other environment-related disasters, including climate change emergencies.
- Chemical disasters: Oil spills, lead poisoning, and chemical plant explosions are all examples of chemical disasters that can be particularly hazardous.
- Biological disasters: These are large-scale disasters among humans, animals, and plants.
- Radiological or nuclear disasters: These disasters typically occur near nuclear facilities and lead to large-scale releases of radioactivity.
- Human-caused disasters: These include wars, mass shootings, pile-up car crashes, etc.
What Does a Disaster Response Nurse Do?
Disaster response nurses play vital roles before, during, and after disasters. The disaster response nurses' responsibilities below will give you a comprehensive understanding of the role so you can determine whether this specialty is right for you.
Before the Disaster
Disaster response nurses play a significant role in large-scale disaster preparedness, which includes the following:
- Developing disaster mitigation strategies by identifying potential risks and problem solutions based on the following factors:
- Geographical positioning (For example, since flat geographical places are prone to flooding, disaster response personnel require adequate and appropriate protective materials to respond to this calamity more efficiently)
- Areas prone to specific topical or infectious diseases like malaria require an infectious disease plan based on research and knowledge of the specific area and its most common diseases
- Providing disaster management training to nurses, medics, and disaster relief personnel to better prepare for emergencies (One example of a disaster management training certification is the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).)
- Creating, advising on, and offering training on disaster management and emergency response plans/policies for other entities such as offices, schools, and towns (This training can include topics such as how to make an emergency response plan for your office or emergency planning for schools.)
- Developing standard requirements for emergency facilities and equipment, such as rescue rings, ropes, extracting boards, and stretchers
During the Disaster
During disasters, nurses provide acute patient care, including the following duties:
- Triaging patients, which involves assessing injuries and administering healthcare
- Providing first aid
- Providing mentorship and education to other nursing staff who may feel overwhelmed if they are involved in responding to a disaster without tactical or psychological preparation
- Evacuating or transferring patients to other facilities
- Assisting other emergency response teams, such as search and rescue operations, or helping displaced people find temporary shelter and food
- Communicating with patients, families, volunteers, and other healthcare workers
- Assisting resident nurses in facilities that are over capacity and overwhelmed with patients as disasters place a huge strain on frontline healthcare employees
- Understanding patients’ situations to provide care aligned with their medical needs
- Monitoring patients' mental health and providing initial counseling and emotional support in response to the psychological impact of the disaster
After the Disaster
Disasters have a far-reaching impact on affected communities, and as the first respondents, disaster response nurses play a major role in disaster recovery, which may include the following responsibilities:
- Visiting communities and maintaining contact with patients after the disaster to determine what care they might need and organizing care plans accordingly
- Educating and strengthening the community’s ability to cope with the impact of the disaster by sharing information on mental health
- Contributing to recovery plans and techniques based on disaster response nurses' clinical skills, knowledge of community resources, and understanding of community needs, helping promote cooperation of health, social, and governance sectors following a disaster
Final Thoughts on Disaster Nursing
Disaster response nurses have an essential role in preparing for and responding to various disasters. From developing disaster mitigation strategies to supporting communities in recovering from traumatic events, disaster response nurse duties and responsibilities are key in helping people successfully cope with incredibly difficult situations.
If you’re looking for a primer on disaster response nursing, check out Nursa’s ultimate guide to disaster response nursing, which includes information on how to become a disaster response nurse, disaster response nurse certification, salary, and more. Our guides to nursing specialties are packed with helpful information to support you in making a decision on which career path is most suitable for you.
